The Other Side of This Life
by julian bb
Summary: AU DB/ "Welcome to the dark side, Brooklyn. You're gonna have fun. Trust me." Dan wants to focus, but Blair Waldorf—the brunette girl from Brooklyn—is still stuck in the back of his mind.
1. Welcome To The Dark Side

**AN: So. More Dair. They're stuck in my head lately. I think they're my OTP. I know this idea has been done before, but I've been wasting too much time on Tumblr and I wanted to try it. Basically it's Dan as a WASP and Blair as the scholarship girl from Brooklyn. Also, this one goes out to _EmilyRose09,_ who suggested I write a full Dair story, though I'm not really sure this is what she had in mind. But I just could not get this idea out of my head. I people like it, I'll keep writing it. **

**-xx-**

**The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

Welcome To The Dark Side

I wonder if things can happen too early or too late or if everything happens at exactly the right time.

—Simon Van Booy

**-xx-**

Daniel Humphrey gets out of his limo and runs his hands through his long, curly locks of hair before he makes his way up the steps of the Met.

His well-worn Chucks actually complement his Brooks Brothers khakis, his untucked canary-yellow shirt is mostly unbuttoned, showing off his tanned chest, his stripped tie hangs undone around his neck, and black suspenders peek out from under his shirt. He shrugs on his St. Jude's dark-blue blazer as he runs up the steps.

A small crowd waits eagerly for the Upper East Side rebel, including his perfect girlfriend Serena van der Woodsen.

"Morning, angel-face," Dan greets the golden goddess with a peck on the lips, "Sorry I'm late, babe."

"And on the first day, too!" Serena exclaims.

Dan shrugs, "My alarm didn't go off." he offers as an explanation, already greeting the rest of the guys. It's then that he notices a new face among their select little group. A petite girl with brilliant chestnut-brown eyes, long brunette hair, and a fox-like face. "And who might you be?"

Before she can answer, Serena introduces her, "Ooh! This is Blair Waldorf. She's a new transfer student." she says, "Blair, this is Danny. My boyfriend."

Dan offers her a hand to shake, "It's Dan, actually," he amends, "Dan Humphrey. S. is the only one who gets to call me Danny. And only 'cause she insists on it." He looks at the New Girl up and down, and he can immediately tell that she's different—she wears simple black ballet flats, has an actual book-bag instead of a Kate Spade purse, and she hasn't added any gaudy accessories to her uniform. Instead, she opts to wear a simple black hairband. "Where are you from, Blair Waldorf?"

Nate Archibald elbows him, "Dude," he mutters quietly, "Be cool!" Nate is the classic WASP-oid, a good-looking lacrosse player who smokes copious amounts of weed. He's also Dan Humphrey's best friend.

"My father and I just moved to Brooklyn." replies Blair.

"Yeah," cuts in Serena, "Blair has never been to a prep school before."

Dan smirks, "Figures." he says, "Welcome to the dark side, Brooklyn. You're gonna have fun. Trust me."

Blair narrows her eyes at him, but says nothing.

Serena rolls her eyes and slaps his chest playfully, "Don't be an ass, Danny." she reprimands with her ethereal smile.

"C'mon! I'm joking!" Dan exclaims with a grin, "It's a nickname—you don't mind, right, Brooklyn?" he asks, turning to face Blair.

And even though she very much minds, Blair just says, "No. I don't."

Dan blinks at her and looks at Serena once more, "See, S." he says, "Brooklyn's cool with it."

Serena giggles and grabs his face, pulling her boyfriend into a kiss, "Behave." she warns, "I gotta go. I'm meeting Kati and Is before the assembly." She glances at Blair, that smile gracing her lips once more, "Don't let him get douche-y with you, B." she advices, "I'll see you in class."

Blair smiles at her politely and meekly waves goodbye. _Great_, she thinks. _Two nicknames for the price of one: Brooklyn and B_.

The crowd disperses quickly after that—the boys head over to St. Jude's and the girls to Constance Billard. Apparently same-sex prep schools are a must for Upper East Side WASPs.

But Daniel Humphrey stays sitting there, his brown eyes burrowing into her. "Good luck, Brooklyn." He says after a beat, "I think you're gonna need it."

Blair frowns, "Is everyone here this obnoxious or are you just a special case?" she snaps.

Dan chuckles, "No. We're pretty much all the same." he replies, sliding on his messenger bag and heading down the steps.

Blair's eyes zoom in on the book sticking out of his back pocket. "You read?" She doesn't really mean to say it out loud, but she blurts it out anyways.

Dan turns to face her, smirking at her look of incredulity. "Yes." he replies, "Ever since my mom got me Hooked on Phonics. Don't tell anyone, though. I'll lose serious cool points for that."

Blair blushes with slight embarrassment, but presses on, "Um, what're you reading?"

Dan skips up a few steps until he's towering one step above her, "See for yourself, Brooklyn." he pulls out a worn-out copy of_ Letters to a Young Poet_ by Rilke and hands it to her. "It _does_ have a lot of big words in it, but I manage."

Blair blushes once more, and Dan's surprised to find that he likes teasing this girl. She stares at him for a second. Takes in his bright brown eyes, enticing grin and his messy mop of curly hair that falls gracefully across his forehead, and she can't help but think that this guy's actually really good-looking. "I love this book." she says after the pause seems to drag on.

"Keep it, then." Dan says decisively, then turns around and heads down the steps.

Blair furrows her brow in surprise, "Wait! Are you through with it?" she calls out, but Dan just waves a hand dismissively without bothering to turn around.

"What is his deal?" Blair asks herself, and already she finds him cocky and infuriating. She flips through the book and is surprised to find that it is thoroughly read: passages are highlighted and notes are carefully scribbled on the margins. She stops on a particular quote:

"_It is also good to love: because love is difficult. For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation. That is why young people, who are beginners in everything, are not yet capable of love: it is something they must learn. With their whole being, with all their forces, gathered around their solitary, anxious, upward-beating heart, they must learn to love._"

It's one of her personal favorites, and she wonders... "Daniel Humphrey. What else are you hiding beneath the surface?"

**-xx-**

Dan walks late into the assembly hall and immediately spots Nate. He takes the empty seat next to his friend. "Dude, where were you?" The golden boy inquires.

"Around." Dan grins mischievously, glances behind them where Anthony Avuldsen, Charlie Dern and Jeremy Scott Tompkinson are horsing around and discussing soccer tryouts and lacrosse. He bumps fists with them and returns his attention to Nate, "And _where_ is Chuck?" he asks.

Nate smirks, "Late, man," he answers as if it should be obvious, "It's _Chuck Bass_." He says the name as if it encompasses some greater meaning, which of course it does.

"S. is looking good today." Nate mutters.

Dan raises a challenging eyebrow, "Jealous?" he teases with a smirk, "Sorry, Natie-boy. You know I don't share my toys, at least not until _I'm_ done playing with them."

Serena van der Woodsen has been Daniel Humphrey's on-and-off girlfriend since junior high. They'd all grown up together—Dan and Serena and Nate—and it was no secret that Nate Archibald was a little bit in love with Serena.

Hell, _everyone_ was a little bit in love with Serena.

"So, what'd you think of the new girl?" Nate asks, opting to change the subject.

Chuck Bass walks in then, takes the seat next to Dan. "Gentlemen," he greets, "I trust you had a pleasurable summer."

"We make do." Nate answers.

Dan smirks, "Just like always." he adds, "Nice scarf, by the way." he says, motioning towards the J. Press patchwork scarf that usually hangs around Chuck's neck.

"Do not mock the scarf, Daniel," Chuck says, "It's my signature."

Chuck Bass, the oldest son of Bartholomew Bass, is handsome in that aftershave-commercial kind of way.

He also has a reputation as the horniest boy in Dan and Nate's group of friends. A reputation he is very proud of, by the way.

The group of friends laugh and then the assembly starts. The principal yammering on about high standards and the future and how this is an elite institution. They tune out pretty quickly. Chuck leans towards Dan, "How's the new meat this semester, Humphrey?"

Dan licks his lips, pauses for a beat before answering, "Nothing worth our time." he replies.

And Dan wants to focus on the conversation and rate the new freshman girls on the bang-able scale, but Blair Waldorf—the brunette girl from Brooklyn—is still stuck in the back of his mind.


	2. How The Other Half Lives

**AN: Glad to know you guys are interested. I don't know how long this will be, but I don't think it'll be very long. Also, the other characters (Chuck, Nate, and Serena) are in a season 1 mind-frame and they're a little bit influenced by the GG books. **

******The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

How The Other Half Lives

People tend to stick to their own size group because it's easier on the neck.  
Unless they are romantically involved, in which case the size difference is sexy.  
It means: I am willing to go the distance for you.

—Miranda July

**-xx-**

It's Friday and they're eating take-out from E.A.T.'s on the steps of the Met before heading back to class.

(They're not really supposed to go off-campus for lunch, but really, who's gonna stop them?)

Blair has found her rhythm in the city. She loves her classes, and a diploma from Constance Billard will certainly look great when she applies to Yale.

And it turns out Serena van der Woodsen is a relatively decent friend, once you get past the superficiality.

And Dan Humphrey is an infuriating smartass.

But he's a _charming_ smartass. And despite her best efforts, Blair can't help but be enthralled every time they argue over something pointless—everything from literary symbolism to the fact that he claims she smells like Brooklyn.

So Blair sits with Serena and Katy and Is and Penelope and tunes out as they prattle on about this season's colors and whoever's on the cover of US Weekly.

Meanwhile Dan and Nate pat each other's back on getting the captain spot on the soccer and lax team, respectively.

Chuck just mocks them both for wasting their time on such unsatisfying physical pursuits.

"Whatever, Scarf Boy," Nate says with an eye-roll.

Chuck smirks, "You mock, but an hour of sex burns 360 calories," he says, "And with my incredible rebound rate, I'm in better shape than either of you." Nate punches his shoulder teasingly and Chuck shoves him back, "Care to add anything to the discussion, Daniel?"

"Uh..." Dan shakes his head to snap himself out of his stupor, "Yes. No matter how hard you work at it, fucking will never be a recognized sport. Sorry, C." he says, "Also, soccer builds up stamina so I'm pretty sure I can last over an hour, dude."

Then Dan high-fives Nate and they burst out laughing while Chuck glares.

It's business as usual.

Chuck stands up, and Nate follows his lead. "Are you joining us or what?" he asks, staring at his friend questioningly. Everyone's spreading out and heading back to St. Jude's and Constance.

Dan notices Blair is still sitting on a step, reading a book intently. He smirks, "You go ahead, Chuckie," he says, tossing him his bag, "I can catch up on my own. I'm a big boy."

Chuck glares, "Fuck off, Daniel." he hisses. He hates being called that.

Nate jumps in, tugs on Chuck's arm, "C'mon, man. I think we got time for a little_ fresh air_ before we head back inside." he tempts, knowing Chuck Bass never turns down a quick hit.

They head down the steps, but Chuck can clearly hear Dan say: "Hey, Brooklyn, whatcha reading there?"

As per usual, Blair rolls her eyes at the nickname. She's resigned herself to it since apparently it's going to stick. "Fitzgerald." she replies, flashing him the cover of _The Great Gatsby_. "I've got a paper due next week."

"The pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired." Dan cites, moving over to sit next to her, "You read it before?"

Blair tenses when she feels him so close, "Yes. In fact, I think I'm living it now."

"What, all the lavish parties and the decadence," Dan offers, nudges her gently.

Blair turns her face and locks eyes with him, "Exactly." she replies, "Except none of you seem to have ever heard the word prohibition."

"No. I suppose we haven't." Dan pauses, flashes her a smile, "But I do like to think my smile has a quality of eternal reassurance, so there's that." he smiles widely, leans closer to her in an attempt to tease her. Blair rolls her eyes and shoves his face away playfully, but she can't help the smile that tugs at her lips.

Chuck takes another hit off the joint, watches Dan and Blair interact. "_Why_ is she still hanging around?"

Nate shrugs, takes the joint from Chuck, "Serena likes her." he offers.

"Serena likes _everybody_." Chuck rolls his eyes, "That doesn't mean they get to just tag along for the ride. We do not have a New Kid On The Block policy."

It's a valid point. These families have known each other forever—the Basses and the Archibalds and the van der Woodsens, and even Dan's father had known the van der Woodsens since they were young. You weren't invited into the elite world, you were _born_ into it.

"Well, maybe she needs another girlfriend." Nate suggests instead, "Jenny's gone, and Katy and Is are more lackeys than anything else."

Chuck shakes his head, "Jenny Humphrey left the city for Waverly Academy because Serena practically _banished_ her." he replies, "No, this is something else."

"Why are you obsessing over this, dude?" Nate asks, because it's really unlike Chuck to care this much about anything at all.

Chuck's eyes narrow with interest as he continues to watch Dan with Blair. Dan stands up and mock-chivalrously offers his arm to Blair who reluctantly takes it and they walk off towards Constance together.

"There's something wrong with that level of perfection. It needs to be...violated." Chuck says more to himself than to Nate.

"You're so _beyond_ disturbed." Nate comments matter-of-factly. He's already a little bit baked.

Chuck smirks, "Nathaniel, I believe a little social experiment is in order here."

"And I think you've been watching a little too much Cruel Intentions, Chuck." Nate replies, knowing Chuck's schemes always leave a trail of victims in their wake.

"Trust me," Chuck says, "It'll be interesting."

**-xx-**

Eric van der Woodsen sits on the living room couch of his family's penthouse and Blair sits awkwardly next to him, and that's when Dan walks in.

"Hey, E." Dan greets casually, bumping fists with his girlfriend's little brother. "Brooklyn," he grins down at Blair, "Why are _you_ here?"

Blair rolls her eyes, "I'm supposed to be meeting Serena. We have a Latin presentation due on Tuesday."

"Well, I'm meeting S., too." Dan says, "We have...something." he furrows his brow, "I think. My phone woke me up with an alarm titled SERENA so I'm guessing we have something scheduled."

Blair huffs, "Well, you're guessing _wrong_."

"Maybe _you're_ wrong." Dan volleys back, "Contrary to your core belief system, you're not always right."

Eric frowns, "Um, actually you're _both_ wrong." he pipes in, "Serena's at Bendel's." he says turning to Dan, "She's getting a new dress for Kiss On The Lips. Also, she wanted me to remind you to pick up your tux at Bergdorf's."

Dan snaps his fingers in the air, "That's what the alarm was!" he exclaims, "I'll send Bolek to pick it up. So S. is a no-show?"

"Well, that's just great!" Blair exclaims, clearly upset. She shakes her head, then asks, "What is Kiss On The Lips?"

"Uh, a party." Eric replies. "It's tomorrow night."

Dan adds, "Yeah, they're trying to raise funds to save..._something_ that's going extinct, I think." He says without really caring because it seems that every other week there's some pseudo-charity ball in honor of an unimportant cause.

"Good to know my grade now hangs in the balance for something so urgent, then." Blair hisses sarcastically.

Dan smirks, "Someone needs to unclench a little bit," he comments, then grins as an idea dawns on him, "You should come, Brooklyn! Tell you what, you can be my plus one."

Blair raises a skeptical eyebrow, "Isn't that Serena?"

Dan and Eric chuckle, "Serena isn't _anyone_'s plus one." They reply simultaneously.

"S. always gets her own invite." Dan adds as an explanation.

"Of course!" Blair says with a slight note of incredulity as she rolls her eyes.

Dan laughs, "Come on, Waldorf," he says, "I've got a car downstairs, I'll give you a ride all the way back to Brooklyn and talk you into going on the way there."

**-xx-**

"So how'd you end up dating Serena?"

They're sitting in the back of Dan's limo, and Blair just blurts the question out randomly.

Dan furrows his brow—it's a variation of a question he gets asked a lot, and he never quite knows how to answer it. At least not without sounding like a jackass. "I don't know. We've known each other forever. It just...happened one day." he replies, "We haven't always been together, though. She did a stint at Easton Academy. We...took a break."

Blair resists the urge to scoff because she thinks a relationship—a _real_ relationship—shouldn't be something that just happens because there's nothing else to do. "How very Ross and Rachel of you." she says with an eye-roll, "How long have you been together?"

"I don't know." Dan shrugs, "Do I look like the kind of guy who keeps track of that stuff?"

And then 'Faithfully' starts blaring through the radio, and Blair has to resist the urge to scoff once more.

Dan catches her holding back the snort. "Don't judge. It's Pandora." he says with a playful glare, "And besides, classic-rock is a must in the Humphrey family."

Blair snorts, "Well, first off, Journey is hardly what I'd call classic-rock. And second, what happens if you _don_'t like classic-rock? Daddy disowns you?" Dan just shrugs as if to say '_probably_', and Blair raises a skeptical eyebrow, "What, is your dad some big rock star or something?"

"Well, that depends on who you ask, Brooklyn."

Blair quirks her eyebrows in that way she does when she's trying to solve a problem, "Humphrey." she says, "Is you father Rufus Humphrey? Rufus-Humphrey-from-Lincoln-Hawk Rufus Humphrey?"

"Ah, so you _have_ heard of him!" Dan exclaims mock-surprised, "Yes. Rufus Humphrey is my father."

Blair nods appreciatively, "A little too punk for my tastes, but he's not bad."

"Dad will be glad to know he has a fan." Dan says sarcastically, and suddenly he feels the need to reach for the scotch in the mini-bar.

A charged silence settles in and it seems to drag on forever. Blair clears her throat, "Thanks for the book, by the way." she says to break the ice, "I already had it, but your thoughts were..._interesting_. Uh, have you read _Tuesdays With Morrie_ by Mitch Albom?"

"No. I haven't." Dan straightens up at the subject of books, "But I've heard about it. I've actually been meaning to get it."

Blair grins, "You can have mine, then." She replies, "I'll get it for you before you leave."

"Great." Dan smiles, "Hey, are you into short-stories?"

"When they're good." Blair replies tentatively.

Dan rolls his eyes, "There's this book,_ No One Belongs Here More Than You_, and it's short stories," he starts, "It's a little bit indie so I don't know if that's really your speed, but—"

"—I like indie." Blair cuts him off.

"Well then you should definitely check it out. I'll loan it to you."

Blair nods with a smile and extends a hand for him to shake. Dan shakes it dutifully and smirks.

"You got yourself a deal."

**-xx-**

Dan walks Blair upstairs into her loft and stands in the living room, hands tucked into his jacket's pockets as he glances around the place. "So," he says, "_This_ is how the other half lives, huh?"

Blair resists the urge to scoff and instead says, "You can sit down if you want. I promise you won't catch any of my Brooklyn cooties."

Dan chuckles and it's then that his phone beeps. A new Gossip Girl blast.

_Spotted: **D.** slumming it in Brooklyn with the **New Girl**. And just who is this mysterious girl who's commanding our favorite boy renegade? Send me the scoop_.

"Here you go." Blair hands him the copy of_ Tuesdays With Morrie_.

Dan as if to say '_thank you_', "You're in it now." he says, "You made the latest Gossip Girl blast."

Blair kinks her eyebrows, "What's Gossip Girl?"

"Seriously, Brooklyn?" Dan scoffs, spots the laptop on the coffee table and opens up the G.G. page. "Read up."

Blair sits next to him and takes the laptop, glancing over the blog page.

_Good morning, Upper East Sidders! _

_Gossip __Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite._

_And who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell. You know you love me._

_xoxo, Gossip Girl_

"Oh my god, this is all about you," Blair comments, clearly shocked, "And Nate and Serena and Chuck, and everyone else at school."

Dan nods, "Yep. And now you're on it, too." he chuckles, "Like I said before, welcome to the dark side, Brooklyn."

"Shut up!" Blair says, nudging his side.

Dan stands up, "I should get going."

"Uh, sure." Blair stands up with him, "Thanks for the ride. I know you hate slumming it down to Brooklyn."

Dan smiles, "It isn't slumming it with you." he says, "Uh, you should come. To Kiss On The Lips. I'll look for you there." And with that he's gone.

A few hours later a man in a classic butler's suit is knocking on the loft door and handing Blair a package. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bolek." The man says with what sounds like a Polish accent, "I'm Mr. Dan's butler. He sent that for you."

Blair rips open the paper and finds a copy of No One Belongs Here More Than You with a post-it stuck to it.

_B._

_Thanks for the book._  
_Hope you like this._

_—Dan_

Blair skims over the book and just like the other one, this one is highlighted and full of scribbled notes.

She's surprised to find that she really looks forward to getting some more insight into Dan Humphrey's mind.

**-xx-**

Dan arrives at his Manhattan town house and rushes upstairs to his bedroom. Unlike Chuck who had his own hotel and Serena who lived in a penthouse, Nate and Dan had real houses with real backyards.

Rufus had brought the place when he was newly married to Dan's mother. It was a failed attempt to normalize his marriage, but Dan and Jenny had grown up there so he kept it.

It was mostly empty, but Dan had the third floor all to himself and it was walking distance to Serendipity 3 and the Palace and Nate's house so he didn't complain.

Bolek's already left the garment bag with his tux for tomorrow night hanging on the back of his door, so Dan does the dutiful boyfriend thing and texts Serena.

Got the tux. Pick you up at 8.

Dan jumps onto his bed and grabs Tuesdays With Morrie. Unlike him, Blair doesn't write in her books. Instead, he only finds one quote highlighted in yellow:

"_So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning._"

He wonders if she highlighted that for him because he's never really devoted to anything—never _cared_ about anything.

Except now.

Because for some unknown reason, Blair Waldorf just _gets_ to him.


	3. Famous Last Words

******The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

Famous Last Words

...a bad girl is a far more dangerous creature than a bad boy.  
What's more, they're much harder to squash.

—Roald Dahl

**-xx-**

It's tradition by now. It's the way they've done it forever.

Nate and Dan get ready together at Chuck's suite, laughing as they fight over the bathroom mirror in a pointless competition to see which one of them is more vain. (Chuck always wins, of course.)

Dan wears a tail-coat tux with a patterned silver bow-tie that Serena specifically picked to match her dress. Nate wears a simple black Gucci tux. Chuck decks himself out in an Armani black tux—with his patented scarf, of course.

"When are you going to get rid of that thing?" Nate asks, pinching the scarf between his fingers.

Chuck snatches it away, "When you grow a pair and get rid of the man-bangs." he volleys cooly.

Dan chuckles as he finishes knotting up his bow-tie, "Now, now, Paris and Nicole," he reprimands playfully, "If you can't play nice together, then you'll have to play alone."

Meanwhile, Serena gets ready at her penthouse. She's wearing a silver Versace, and she looks pretty fucking spectacular, if she does say so herself. Her long blonde locks falling down her bare back in a simple yet tasteful way.

So Serena kisses Eric goodbye and tells him that Lily left a car for him so he should just call down when he's ready, and that they'll meet up there.

(Because showing up with the little brother is just _not_ what Serena does.)

And by the time she gets downstairs, her boys (Dan, Nate, Chuck) are already waiting for her in the back of the Bass limo.

They stroll over to Park Avenue and get Kati and Is, and then their little group is complete and ready to hit the party.

**-xx-**

Serena is the one to pop the cork off the Bollinger, the expensive liquid spraying everywhere before getting poured into champagne flutes. Nate pulls out his latest dime-bag park purchase so they can light up. Chuck brings out the scotch from Bart's personal stash.

(_Tradition._)

Getting wasted and baked is the perfect party combination, and soon they're all flying high on cloud-nine.

And suddenly Serena's on Dan's lap and she reaches for Chuck's scarf and wraps it around her neck, and _of course_ Chuck pulls it back—G_et your own, bitch_, he whines, but they laugh it off together because that's just who they are.

And Chuck squishes himself between Kati and Is, and he cops plenty of feels and he gets all the way to third base before they get to the party.

And Dan watches as Serena shifts off his lap and moves over to Nate and pulls the joint from his lips, placing the lit end is his mouth. Their hands meld together as they form a tunnel around their mouths, and then Nate blows, pushing the smoke into Serena's mouth.

The blonde pulls back with a giggle and she holds Nate's face cupped in her hands, and Nate's grinning like a happy little school-boy.

And the whole thing makes Dan want to puke because this is a fuckin' mess waiting to blow back on all their faces, and a part of him knows he should just fuckin' walk away from it all.

But that's not who he is, it's not how he operates. So he loops an arm around Serena's waist and pulls her onto his lap once more, kisses her hungrily, desperately, his tongue delving into her mouth, claiming her.

_She's mine_, he seems to say. Because if they're not Dan-and-Serena, Serena-and-Dan—always on and off, but eventually getting it together—then who the hell is he?

**-xx-**

The party is flawless (just like always) and filled to capacity, and it looks like they will indeed save whatever pointless cause they're throwing the party for.

Dan downs glass after glass of champagne faster than it's healthy and then Serena pulls him out to dance when she gets bored, and he acquiesces the request because (despite being an ass most of the time) he is still a dutiful boyfriend when he has to be.

His mind is off somewhere else when he spots her: simple black dress with black stockings, her chestnut locks pulled back but still falling neatly around her shoulders—

—Blair Waldorf strolls into the party like something out of Cinderella.

Dan stops dancing, watches her with interest as she makes he way around the room with a type of quiet grace.

This girl is the polar opposite of Serena: brunette, simple, classy, book-smart. She doesn't seem to naturally demand attention.

No. Blair Waldorf is something else entirely.

Chuck smirks, nudges Nate, "Showtime." he says, tilting his head towards Blair before heading her way.

Nate clenches his eyes shut for a second before reaching for Chuck's arm, "Man, lets just _not_, alright?" he somewhat pleads, "I'm tired of this shit."

Chuck pulls his arm away from his grip, "Don't pussy out now, Nathaniel," he hisses, "We're doing this."

"_Why_?" Nate demands, "Why do you wanna keep playing this game? It's pointless!"

"I'm Chuck Bass. _I_ decide when the game stops."

Nate pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head, "Well, have fun playing by yourself, then." he throws his hands in the air in surrender. "I'm out."

Chuck's pissed about it, but he's Chuck Bass so he always has a back-up plan.

And like all plans, it's kind of brilliant in it's simplicity: Seduce & Destroy.

_Veni, vidi, vici_.

—well, he hasn't conquered that. _Yet..._

But he's willing to bet his scarf on it.

"Always gotta do the heavy lifting myself." Chuck mutters to himself before he swallows his champagne in a single gulp.

**-xx-**

Chuck doesn't even get Blair to the roof because this girl seems to be too smart to fall for his bullshit lines and his fake Mr. Sensitive act.

It goes down fast—

Chuck is stepping too close to Blair, and she's starting to get uncomfortable and trying to shove him away, and it's when his lips crash down against hers forcefully that Dan shoves his way through the crowd and makes his appearance.

Dan grabs Chuck's jacket and pulls him off.

"What the hell is your problem? It's a party. Things happen!"

And that's when Dan swings a roundhouse at Chuck's face, knocking him down to the floor.

The scandal has already attracted enough unwanted attention, and Nate arrives. "Jesus!" he exclaims when he sees Chuck down and Dan holding his hand, "What the hell happened?"

"Tell S. I had to go." Dan barks, turns to Blair, "Hey, are you all right?" he asks, locking eyes with her, "Are you all right?" he repeats more forcefully. Blair manages a nod, clearly still in shock over what just happened. "C'mon. Lets get you out of here." His tone leaves no room for argument, and when he reaches for her hand, their fingers intertwine as they make their way through the crowd together.

**-xx-**

Serena is shocked when she finally hears what went down and she reaches the exit in time to see Dan getting into a cab with Blair.

"Looks like you've got competition, S." Chuck says, pressing a hand to his bruised face, "And I trust you remember how to handle the competition."

Serena rolls her eyes in annoyance, arms crossed over her chest, "Dan wouldn't. Not to me." she assures both herself and him, "We don't do that to each other."

"_You_ did." Chuck accuses, "Or have you forgotten the summer Dan spent in France with his mother? When Nate..." he lets his voice trail off for a second, wants to find the right words. "'_Parted your Red Sea_'?"

Serena's entire body tenses at hearing that. "You know about that?"

"I know _everything_." Chuck says without a trace of judgment, "And I'm telling you the new girl is trouble."

Serena swallows the lump in her throat, "What do you propose I do about it?"

"It's the time for the bitch to make a comeback, S. Bad girl gone good? It's not you." Chuck says, rests a hand on the small of her back and leans over to whisper hotly in her ear, "_I liked you better before_."

**-xx-**

Dan sits in stoic silence and Blair sits in stunned silence and they both watch the city pass them by through the glass window.

"Are you really all right?" Dan asks finally, deciding to break the silence.

Blair blinks. "Yes." she says quietly, "Thanks to you, actually."

Dan shakes his head, "Chuck's a dick," he hisses, "I shouldn't have let him get anywhere near you."

Few know Chuck Bass better than Daniel Humphrey. They'd grown up together. Dan and Chuck and Nate were the Three Musketeers of the Upper East Side.

The good, the bad and the ugly (specially the ugly)—Dan knows it all.

"Hey," Blair reaches for his hand and he winces when she touches his punching-hand. She stills her touch and runs her fingers softly over his bruised knuckles, "It's not your fault. And I'm all right. Really." she assures him.

Dan raises his eyes to meet hers, "Are you sure?"

And Blair just smirks, "Would I lie to you, Humphrey?"

Dan stares at her for a beat and then smirks back at her, "Lets hope not, Brooklyn." he says, "Trust. Very important to any relationship."

Blair nods, "I wholeheartedly concur."


	4. A Moment In Time

**The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

A Moment In Time

As happens sometimes, a moment settled and  
hovered and remained for much more than a moment.  
And sound stopped and movement stopped for much,  
much more than a moment. And then the moment was gone.

—John Steinbeck

**-xx-**

Blair Waldorf arrives at Dan's eighty-second-Street-just-off-Park-Avenue Manhattan town house early the next day and knocks tentatively on the front door.

Bolek—Dan's polish butler—opens up and needs no reminder about who she is. "Ms. Waldorf." he says, "Mr. Dan's friend from Brooklyn."

"Yes." Blair replies somewhat uneasily, "That would be me. Um, I don't mean to disrupt your morning, but I was wondering if Dan's in...?" she asks hopefully.

Bolek nods, "Yes, Ms. Blair," he says, gestures towards the marble staircase, "Third floor."

"Thank you." Blair replies, never one to forget her manners. Then she turns, "Um, which room?" she asks.

Bolek smiles kindly, "Take your pick, Miss." he says, "Entire third floor is Mr. Dan's."

Blair blinks. "Of course." she says somewhat stunned.

Blair has a bedroom with door in the middle of it in a loft in Williamsburg.

Dan has an entire floor to himself in a town house on Park Avenue.

Oh, how the privileged live.

**-xx-**

Blair reaches the third floor quickly and tries a few doors experimentally—two bathrooms, one guest bedroom—when she finds it.

It is literally a room where the walls are lined with books from floor to ceiling. It's like something out of the Beauty & The Beast Disney movie.

And there's everything from John Steinbeck to Nick Hornby. There's ever a corner filled with children's books: Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, and a tattered copy of _The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales_.

Blair runs her finger along the spine of the books softly. She settles on the Brothers Grimm book when a voice booms in.

"I see you've found my Fortress of Solitude."

Dan's voice startles Blair, and she immediately places the book of fairy tales back on the shelf. "I didn't mean to pry." And it's only a half-lie because she really was looking for him before she got sidetracked, "It's just...it's a big house."

Dan shrugs, arms crossed over his chest, "I don't mind." he says, "See anything you like?" He's already standing next to her, reaching for the Brothers Grimm book, "You a fan?"

"Somewhat." Blair replies, "I appreciate the originals, but I'm more fond of happy endings."

Dan smirks, raises a skeptical eyebrow, "What?" he asks, "Waiting for True Love's Kiss to set you free, Brooklyn?"

"I hardly think living in Williamsburg makes me Cinderella." Blair replies, "And I'm perfectly happy with my life. But...there's nothing wrong with hoping for a happy ending, is there? I mean, isn't that what we all want?"

Dan can recall one the conversations he'd had with Chuck and Nate while they walked through Central Park and finished smoking up a first-rate dime-bag.

_"Do you ever feel like our whole lives have been planned out for us? That we're just gonna...end up like our parents?"_

_Dan kinks his eyebrows, "Man, that's a dark thought."_

_"And aren't we entitled to choose just to be happy?" Leave it to Nate to get reflective when he's baked._

_And leave it to Chuck to make light of everything. "Look, easy, Socrates. What we're entitled to is a trust fund. Maybe a house in the Hamptons, a prescription-drug problem. But happiness does not seem to be on the menu."_

"I'm not sure a happy ending is in the cards for me." Dan says quietly, his tone far more earnest than he'd meant it to be.

Blair smiles softly, strokes his cheek gently, "You think you're much worse than you actually are." she says, and she means it as a compliment, "You are a decent guy. Okay? You are not like all the other Chuck Basses of the world. You care. Even when you're trying to act as if nothing phases you. I can tell."

"You only think you can." Dan replies cooly, "I'm not one of the good guys, Brooklyn."

Blair rolls her eyes playfully, "Yes you are." she assures him, "You're good with me. And you may not see it, but I do. I see you." And when her hand finds his, it's like time stops for a second, and they're close enough to feel each other's breath and their eyes are locked together, and everything else in the world manages to melt away.

And then they blink, and the moment is gone, but their hands are still intertwined, "I just...I never said thank you." Blair whispers, "For last night." she adds, "Thanks for saving me."

"It was my pleasure." Dan says, and he's not being witty or sarcastic, "Anytime you need a Knight In Shinning..._whatever_, I'm here."

"I might have to take you up on that." Blair says, and she waits a beat before releasing his hand. "Um, I should go. I didn't mean to bother you, much less pry. I'm sorry."

Dan smiles, "Don't be. You're not bothering me." he tentatively reaches for her hand, "And you shouldn't leave." he adds, "I mean, I don't have any plans and..." his voice trails off, and then he grips the book in his hand a little tighter, "You know the perfect way to read fairy tale? It's to have someone else read it to you. C'mon. I'll read you my favorite."

"Um..." Blair lets her voice trail off, and that tinge of red spreads across her cheeks, "You know what, why not? Let's do it."

**-xx-**

Dan is sitting on the couch, his bare feet propped up against the coffee table, and Blair is lying down next to him, her head resting comfortably in his lap as she lets his voice wash over her.

"_Some men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comes right—all that falls to them is so much gain—all their geese are swans—all their cards are trumps—toss them which way you will, they will always, like poor puss, alight upon their legs, and only move on so much the faster_." Dan recites, and he is paused and eloquent and he could do this for a living because listening to him read is enthralling. "_The world may very likely not always think of them as they think of themselves, but what care they for the world? What can it_—"

And suddenly he's cut off by a familiar voice. "Danny!" Serena calls out as she enters the library, halting her steps when she spots her Dan in here with Blair Waldorf.

"_...know about the matter_?" Dan finishes the sentence quietly and snaps the book closed. "Hey, Serena," he greets with his usual smirk. "What's up?"

Blair sits straight and stands up, "Hi, S." she says casually.

Dan stands up as well, but makes no intention to move towards his girlfriend. Instead, he stays next to the girl from Brooklyn.

"I'm gonna go!" Blair announces as little bit too enthusiastically for it to not be awkward.

"Yeah." Serena's Medusa-like glare has no effect on Blair. "I think that's for the best."

"Thanks again, Dan." The brunette stands on her tiptoes to press a kiss onto his scruffy cheek, "I'll see you at school." she says, "Bye, Serena." she adds as she passes by the blonde.

Once Serena's sure Blair is out of earshot, she turns her glare onto Dan, "What the hell was that?!"

"What?" Dan shrugs, "We were just hanging out."

Serena shakes her head angrily, "Tell me the truth, Dan," she demands, "Do you like her? Is that what's going on? You're crushing on the girl from Brooklyn? Has the mighty Daniel Humphrey really fallen that low?"

"First off," Dan starts, his nostrils flaring in anger, "There is nothing going on—we were reading a fuckin' book. And second, I'm pretty sure I've done worse than _the girl from Brooklyn_." he hisses, "'Cause dating the rich, boarding school bitch is sure as shit starting to get old." He says it coldly, the words meant to hit the worst of her insecurities.

And this is Dan-and-Serena at their finest—because no one hurts each other better than these two.

"Fuck you!" Serena howls, reaching for a small vase and tossing it at his head.

Dan dodges it easily, already used to this dynamic. "Oh, that's great!" he exclaims angrily, "Are you seriously going to try to pull that one on me? You wanna talk about something that _is_ going on, then lets talk about your thing with Nate, huh! Nate—my fucking best friend since pre-K. I'm not blind, I see it!"

Serena looks away, ashamed. They'd all known each forever—Dan and Nate and Serena and Chuck—since way back when they were toddlers in nursery school at Park Avenue Presbyterian. So much history, so much water under the bridge or whatever, and one secret Serena wasn't ready to unveil yet. One she wasn't sure she'd_ ever_ want unveiled.

She loved Nate_—her Natie_. The Golden-Boy, Prince of the Upper East Side. They were fun and light and free, and Nate loved her so much. He loved her with a kind of adoration, and that kind of love is addictive. Together, they were the picture perfect Golden Couple.

And she loved Dan—_her Danny_. The Rebel, the Upper East Side Renegade who enjoyed being an eternal wild card. It was expected of them to end up together because they'd been on-and-off forever. They'd been each other's first real relationship, first dates, first kisses. First (_almost_) everything.

Hell, Serena even loved Chuck. The eternal misfit, Upper East Side Grade-A Badass who not not only brought out the bitch inside Serena, but actually welcomed it. Together, they had a wonderful potential for entropy.

Serena sighs, "Danny..." she says, steps towards him, "I wanna make this work. Nate is worried and Chuck is pissed. Just call them. We can go back to normal. Back to being _us_!" she pauses, "Don't you want that?"

Dan blinks. If he's honest, he has no idea what it is he wants anymore. Maybe he's never known. What he does know is that lately he's started to grow tired of being so complacent. "I'll call Nate today." he says, "And I'll deal with Chuck. It's fine. It'll be fine."

Serena breathes a sigh of relief, "That's great." she grins, "Look, just...no more Brooklyn and no more mopey-Dan." she links her wrists around his neck and flashes him one of her ethereal smiles, "We're Dan-and-Serena, Serena-and-Dan, remember?"

Dan pauses for a beat before reflexively placing his hands on the blonde's waist, "How could I ever forget?" and even though he tries, there's sarcasm laced in his tone.

**-xx-**

Nate ends up coming over to Dan's house rather than waiting for his call.

"Man, _what_ is going on with you?"

Dan rolls his eyes, "_Nothing_'s wrong with me," he replies, "_Chuck_'s the one who's fucked up. Seriously. What the hell was he thinking?"

Nate sighs, because he knows Chuck was crossing the line last night (but Chuck _always_ crosses the line and they always ignore it). What's different about it this time around? "You punched him out, Dan," he says, "He's pissed. Look, I just want you guys to make things right so we can get back to normal."

There's that word again. _Normal_. What's so fucking great about normal?

"Maybe I'm done, Nate." Dan says, "Maybe I'm just so fucking tired of normal." he shakes his head, "Aren't you tired, man?"

Nate frowns, "Tired of what?"

"Of pretending." Dan says.

"Of pretending _what_?" Nate asks exasperated, even though he kinda knows what Dan means.

"Of pretending _everything_—pretending to be happy, pretending to feel, pretending to care..." Dan's voice trails off and his eyes zoom in on an old picture.

They can't be more than fifteen in it—Serena's standing barefoot on a marble-top, and Nate and Chuck and Dan are standing around her, each offering her a hand, their eyes saying _pick me, choose me_!

They'd been goofing around, and Lily photographed it (one of the rare moments when she was around).

Serena had picked Dan, and Nate spent the rest of the day looking desolate, and Chuck had just smirked knowingly (_Trust me, Daniel. This is going to be messy_, he'd accurately augured).

"Or pretending not to feel." Dan finishes, knowing that Nate had always tried to be a decent friend and pretend that he wasn't in love with Serena van der Woodsen. "We both know you're in love with her, Nate. It's one of those quiet truths no one ever speaks about. Because you're my friend and it'd be awkward. But we both know it's true."

Nate opens and closes his mouth a few times. Thinks maybe he _should_ have finished up that blunt before heading over here.

"So aren't you tired of it all, dude?" Dan finishes, and he knows that it'll change nothing so he sighs, "I'll talk to Chuck tomorrow. And it'll be fine."

Nate licks his lips anxiously, "Dan..."

"It's fine." Dan cuts him off before he even starts, "You can go now, man. I'll see you on Monday."

And Nate nods and does as he's told, and he can't help but think that the game's entirely changing now.

Because Dan suddenly cares and because Nate does love Serena and because Chuck never leaves well enough alone. And for some unexplicable reason, Nate can't help but trace this back to the new girl—

Blair Waldorf.


	5. Who You Want To Be

**The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

Who You Want To Be

The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.

―Ralph Waldo Emerson

**-xx-**

It's back to school once more, and the students of Constance Billard and St. Jude's are gathered in the auditorium for an assembly to officially announce the official beginning of Ivy Week.

They interview the boys from St. Jude's to select the ushers, and the reception is already planned out by Constace girls, and it's all set up to be an impeccable event.

As if on cue, the phones of the teenagers beep with the latest G.G. update.

_You know what this week is: Ivy Week. Super-successful parents expect nothing less from their offspring. And when it comes to college, that means the Ivies. It's more than just getting into college, it's setting a course for the rest of your life. And those who aren't legacies are no exception. When parents have sacrificed for their children, what kid would want to let them down?_

Blair overhears Kati and Is talking about it, and she's seriously starting to consider signing up for updates because that immature website seems to be the way all the important news (and the unimportant gossip) travels.

Truthfully, Blair is excited about Ivy Week. She's wanted to go to Yale since forever and the fast-paced lifestyle of the UES is already beginning to gnaw at her so maybe having a one-on-one talk with her endgame isn't such a bad idea right about now.

Despite still hanging out with Serena and the rest of the girls on the Steps, the blonde's been passive-aggresive at best as of late.

Also, she hasn't spoken to Dan in a few days, and she's surprised to find that she _does_ miss his annoying cockiness and charming attitude.

But this week will serve to re-focus her. Yale is the goal, and she's going to get one step closer to it now.

**-xx-**

Chuck's response to Dan's approach is simple:

"Bros over Hoes, Daniel." he says, "Bros over Hoes."

Dan rolls his eyes in annoyance, "Seriously? I don't know what else you thought was going to happen, man," he retorts, "Though I shouldn't be surprised, should I? I mean, I do know where your blood usually pools, and it's not in your head."

And they are who they are so Chuck refuses to apologize (even though he's entirely to blame and he knows it), and Dan refuses to forgive him (because he's just not willing to let this one slide), and Nate still feels somewhat caught in the middle (because these are his bros and they're supposed to be the Three-fuckin'-Musketeers and now they're not even really talking).

So they're at the party, and they're avoiding each other, and it's clearly a ticking time bomb waiting to go ka-boom.

Dan's going stag because Serena is running late as per usual, and he's ushering, but he doesn't particularly care because he hasn't thought about college. At least not seriously. His dad had never gone and his mother had studied art at NYU, and now the world of the Ivies was eagerly waiting for him.

So he mostly smiles politely and drinks punch and swipes crab cakes and champagne off the waiters' trays.

He spots Blair standing alone by the corner and approaches her. "What's wrong?" he asks off the bat, "And don't say nothing because you're doing that thing with your eyebrows, so I know _something_'s bothering you."

Blair rolls her eyes, somewhat annoyed by the way he presumes to know her, "I wanted to get in some face-time with the Yale rep."

"And, what?" Dan says, "You're not the shy type, Brooklyn."

"Chuck Bass is the Yale usher." Blair replies, arms crossed over her chest, "I'm just...I'm not sure I want to deal with him right now."

Dan steals a glance over at where Chuck small-talks with the Yale rep, then glances back at Blair. "You really want this, huh?"

"This is what I'm here for. My dad went to Yale, and it's my dream school. I mean, Yale is plan A, B, and C for me."

Dan nods in understanding, "Give me ten minutes." he says resolved, "I'll make it happen."

Blair reaches for his arm, stops him from walking away, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna do my thing," Dan replies cooly, "Do you trust me?"

And though there's a slight hesitation, Blair says, "Yes."

Dan nods, "Then give me ten minutes."

**-xx-**

Chuck is spicing one of the punch bowls with his monogrammed little flask when Dan approaches him.

"I need to trade reps with you." Dan says matter-of-factly, his hands tucked in his pants' pockets.

Chuck smirks, "What makes you think I'm interested in doing you any favors right now?"

"Well, I know you have a thing for brunettes," Dan replies, gesturing towards the MILF standing by the refreshment table, "And I'm pretty sure the Princeton rep is..._suitable_ for your tastes."

And Chuck can't help to arch his eyebrows in interest, but he's not about to cave this easy. "Make it interesting for me."

"What do you want in return?" Dan asks, not wanting to haggle over this.

Chuck purses his lips in thought, "Your forgiveness and the restoration of our friendship."

And because it sounds too easy, Dan just eyes him tentatively for a beat before Chuck adds, "And an unnamed favor to be called upon at a later date, of course."

"Done." Dan answers, extends a hand so they can shake on it. "Why do I feel like I just made a deal with the devil?" he asks more rhetorically than anything else.

"Because you know me well." Chuck retorts, "I am curious about one thing, though," he adds, "_What_ is the fascination with Brooklyn?"

Dan steps closer to Chuck, still shaking his hand, "Blair Waldorf is off limits, Chuck." he hisses in a low voice, "And I'm being so fucking serious right now. If you mess with her again, I swear to God I will end you."

And Chuck can tell Dan means it, "Fine." he relents, "I'll leave your little charity project alone. For now." he says ominously, "Are we done here? I'd like to...get into Princeton sooner rather than later"

"We're done." Dan says, steps back.

Chuck straightens his jacket, "Good." he says with a sharp nod, "Oh, and I wasn't kidding about the restoration of our friendship." he adds as he walks away, "As of now, I expect everything's back to normal, yeah? And you can tell Nate we're all good now. The anxiety was starting to interfere with his beauty sleep."

Dan can't help to chuckle at that, "Will do."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Daniel."

**-xx-**

After that, Dan greets the Yale rep and introduces him to Blair who proceeds to dazzle him with her impressive (and seemingly never-ending) list of achievements.

"And what about you, Dan?" the rep asks after a while, "Have you given any thought to attending Yale? Because we'd love to have you."

Dan licks his lips, "Truthfully, I haven't." he replies, "I, uh, don't know if it'd really be a good match for me."

Blair's eyes widen at his response, "He's just being modest." she intervenes, "Actually, Dan is one of the most well-read people I know—everything from Tolstoy to Faulkner. And you're third in your class, right?"

"First, actually," Dan says, brow furrowed, "But it's not a big deal."

The rep smiles, "It's a very big deal. Clearly you're a very smart young man. And Yale getting the son of Rufus Humphrey, that'd be quite something." he says, "I'm going to give you both my phone number. Call me when you're applying for a letter of recommendation. I'd love to put in a good word for you."

"Thank you so much," Blair smiles and takes the card.

"Yeah, thanks," Dan adds.

When the rep's out of earshot, Blair elbows him in the ribs sharply, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Ouch!" Dan doubles over in pain, clutching his side, "What's wrong with _you_?!" he hisses in pain.

Blair rolls her eyes, "You don't even see it, do you?" she snorts, "Well, of course you don't. You're Daniel Humphrey, son of a rock star. You don't have to worry about getting in, much less paying tuition. It's my fault, really, because I shouldn't be surprised. I just forget sometimes."

Dan frowns, "What are you on about?"

"Just how _easy_ everything comes for you." Blair replies, clearly exasperated, "How everything's handed to you on a silver platter. And of course, you're so used to it, you don't even see it, do you?"

"Okay, seriously," Dan shakes his head, annoyed, "What's your problem right now? Because I was just trying to help you out."

Blair sighs, and a pang of guilt hits her because Dan really was just trying to give her what she wanted. "I know." she says, "It's just...there's all these possibilities that are just _there_ for you and it's like you don't even care. You've got so much potential and it's like you can't even see it. Have you ever stopped to think just how different everything could've turned out to be? If your father hadn't made it and had just become another forgotten band of the 90's. I think about it sometimes, what would've happened if my father hadn't gone into environmental law and had actually chosen a specialty that was well paid. Maybe then I'd be Upper East Side royalty and you'd be...Brooklyn."

Dan blinks, then a smirk tugs at his lips, "For what it's worth, I'm glad it isn't different." he says, "I don't think Upper East Side Blair would've liked Brooklyn Dan."

And Blair has to smile at that, "I think you would've grown on me. It's hard to ignore the Humphrey-appeal for long."

"Yeah, well," Dan steps closer, tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "It's impossible to resist the Waldorf appeal."

Blair sighs, pauses for a beat, "I just...I wish you could see yourself like I see you."

"I'd rather just see you, actually," Dan replies with that ever-present air self-confidence that his upbringing has provided him, "You're a much beautiful sight."

And his hand is still lingering on her shoulder and they're standing too close for comfort and there's something about his touch that sends a jolt of electricity running up and down her spine. But then reality hits, and she remembers that Dan has a statuesque blonde girlfriend. "Um, where's Serena today?"

Dan clears his throat, pulls his hand away, "Running late is my best guess," he says, "Serena...seems to operate on a different timetable than the rest of us."

Blair nods, and just as if invoked, Serena pops up behind Dan, "I'm here, I'm here!" she announces slightly out of breath, presses a quick kiss to Dan's cheek, "I made it!" Then her eyes narrow slightly at the sight of the brunette.

"Hey, B." Serena greets politely, because the Queen of the Upper East Side never loses her good manners.

Blair nods slightly, "Hello, Serena."

But Serena's ignoring her now, "Sorry I'm late, babes." she says, her hands running through Dan's curly locks of hair.

"It's fine," Dan says without looking at Serena, puts on a (fake) smile before turning to face her, "Hey, angel-face," he greets, pecks her lips dutifully, "Ready to charm an Ivy rep?"

Serena smiles that ethereal smile of her, curtsies mockingly, "You know I am!" she exclaims, "Come on, come with me!" she puts on her best pout, "Please! We can totally get in with the Brown rep today, and then we'll be as good as in next year."

Blair pipes in then, "You want to go to Brown?" she asks.

"I...don't know." Dan says, cuts his eyes back to Blair for a beat, "I haven't thought about it much."

Serena reaches for his hand, "Well, then, let's go talk to the Brown rep and after that your mind will be made up." And she doesn't even wait for a response because she's already tugging Dan away.

**-xx-**

Blair is Blair, so she socializes with the other reps (Dartmouth and Harvard and Columbia and Cornell and UPenn) because she needs to have back-ups in place.

Yale may be plan A, B and C, but that doesn't mean Blair doesn't have another plan for every other letter of the alphabet.

So Blair has done her rounds and has made positive impressions on every rep (except Princeton because she's avoiding Chuck Bass like the plague that he is), and Serena's been monopolizing Dan since her arrival, and Blair can't really stomach any more inconsequential small-talk with Kati and Is and Penelope and Hazel so she's ready to bail.

And that's when she walks out to the patio that she overhears the heated exchange.

"It doesn't feel right!" Nate protests, his tone laced with concern.

Serena shakes her head, "We can't tell him, Nate!" She keeps moving around back and forth, refusing to stand still.

"I can't keep lying!" Nate counters, "S., he's my best friend." he says, a trace of desperation and guilt in his tone, "Dan is my best friend, and with everything that's going on with him and Chuck, it..." his voice trails off and he sighs, "I just don't want to keep on pretending."

Serena's eyes widen, "Nate, what are you talking about?!" she shrieks somewhat exasperated, shakes her head over and over, "Look, we can't tell him, okay! You can't. You just can't!"

"We slept together!" Nate says, "I can't pretend it didn't happen! Not anymore."

Serena continues to move frantically, "I know!" she shrieks, "But we can't just tell him! We can't! I can't do that to Dan, okay?"

Nate's hands reach for Serena's shoulders, and she steadies her movements, "S., it's okay," he whispers, his hands moving up to cup her face, "Just breathe." His gorgeous emerald eyes lock with Serena's, "It's fine. It's gonna be okay."

Serena closes her eyes, breathes slowly—inhale, exhale. And Nate always has that way with her, appeasing her easily. He's always the one who slows everything down when things are spinning out of control.

"Serena." Nate calls her name firmly, begging her to look at him, and she does. "Look, I know things are complicated. But I don't want to lie anymore."

Serena says nothing, merely blinks as if she isn't really listening to him. "Nate licks his lips, "S., I lo—"

"Nate, don't." Serena cuts him off immediately, "Just...I'm with Dan." she says, "_Dan_ is my boyfriend."

Nate blinks, and it's obvious Serena's rejection has hurt him, "S..."

"Natie, I'm sorry." Serena whispers, takes a deep breath, "But I can't." She slides out his arms and rushes back towards the party.

Blair quickly slides out of the blonde's field of vision and Serena rushes by without even noticing her.

Nate stands alone, hands tucked in his pants' pockets, with a desolate look in his eyes.

"Hey," Blair approaches him, lays a hand gently on his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Nate stares at her and sighs, "Um, yeah," he mutters, "Yeah, it's fine. _I'm_ fine."

And with the sad pout and the puppy-dog eyes it's particularly hard not to feel sorry for him. Blair sighs, gently lays a hand on his broad shoulder, "Okay, then." she says, heads towards the street to hail a cab.

Blair's brain is reeling: Serena slept with Nate, Nate loves Serena, Serena doesn't want to tell Dan, Dan doesn't know. And now she does.

And she has no idea what to do with this new piece of information.

Despite their constant arguing and bickering, she does care for Dan. In fact, lately he's been her best friend. If she tells him the truth, he'll end things with Serena for good. But things like these are always messy, and she doesn't want to be the one to hurt him.

It doesn't even take five minutes before the Gossip Girl blast sets her phone off.

_Spotted: **B.** comforting **N.** outside the Ivy Week luncheon. New couple on the horizon or just a coincidence? Only time will tell. _

Below there's a link to send in anonymous tips. For a second Blair wonders if that's the answer. An anonymous tip and she never has to tell Dan a thing.

Blair closes the phone and slides it back into her purse. She can't quite bring herself to do it. Because if she does this, she's officially one of _them_.

And she's not quite ready for that. At least not yet.


	6. Alternative Lifestyles

**AN: So. I'm an updating douche. But I'm alive. And I'm sorry for the delay. **

**This chapter goes out to _you_. Yes, all of you reading this right now. Because you're still sticking around to read this. And I do hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

Alternative Lifestyles

But it is the nature of stars to cross,  
and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he has Cassius note,  
'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves.'

―John Green

**-xx-**

Dan is hanging by the steps of the Met, horsing around with Anthony Avuldsen and Charlie Dern. Chuck and Nate—his usual partners in crime—are nowhere in sight. Off getting baked before class, he suspects.

They discuss the next big lax game and debate the merits of soccer vs. lacrosse and sing praises about Fifa 13.

Serena pops up behind him, her arms encircling his toned chest, "Morning, babes," she greets, kisses his cheek though she still stands behind him.

Anthony and Charlie make mocking kiss-y faces and tease him about being whipped before running off to St. Jude's. Truth is they're jealous—all guys are jealous of Dan—because it's Serena-fucking-van-der-Woodsen, and Dan gets to tap that ass on-demand.

Dan rolls his eyes as he watches them go, leans his head back to rest on the blonde's shoulder, "Hey, angel-face," he greets back, "You're running late this morning."

"Brother/sister bonding-time with Eric over bagels from Zabar's." Serena replies, spins Dan around so he's facing her, "He wants you call him, by the way. Something about a PS3 match or game or whatever. I get lost when he starts speaking guy-ese."

Dan chuckles, "I'll call him after school."

"Good." Serena says with that ethereal smile of hers, "So. Weekend plans," she starts, clapping her hands excitedly, "I got a modeling gig! A friend of my mom wants me to do a photo-shoot for CoB this Saturday. I was thinking you could drop by, ogle me in some very sexy outfits, eat craft service, and then the whole afternoon would be ours. C'mon, it'll be just like old times, Danny."

It seems to be Serena's new thing lately, trying to make everything 'just like old times.'

The idea isn't as appealing to Dan as it used to be. "Uh, sorry, I can't," he scrunches up his face in that cute way he does when he's trying to convey he's sorry, "It's Lost Weekend. Chuck's demanding my attendance."

"I thought you and Chuck weren't speaking."

Dan shrugs, "We...made up." He doesn't want to tell her that he made a deal with Chuck to help Blair out. "Back to normal. It's what you wanted, right?"

Serena licks her lips, nods slowly, "Y-yeah," she stutters, "Yes. It's fine." Truthfully, she doesn't know how much she trusts Dan around an army of Chuck Bass' expensive escorts. Her hold on her boyfriend is faltering, and they're already on enough thin ice as it is. Plus, now that Nate's in such a confessional mood, putting them together for the weekend sounds like a terrifically awful idea. "It's good."

But Serena van der Woodsen isn't meant to be an insecure girlfriend, and she plays her role accordingly.

"Hey, Lover Boy!" calls out Chuck from across the street where he's waiting with Nate, "Move it, we have class, remember?"

Serena waves at her other boys and presses a kiss to Dan's lips, "Go," she says, "Meet you for lunch?"

"Just like usual," Dan replies with a swift nod.

Serena jets off to Constance like blonde hurricane that she is. Dan lingers around the steps for a few seconds, ignores Chuck and Nate's calls while he scans the crowd for his favorite brunette.

And there's Blair Waldorf, standing at the bottom of the steps and chit-chatting with Nelly Yuki and Penelope. She looks beautiful, trademark headband pushing back her dark locks of hair, and a gentle smile playing across her lips.

Dan wants to go over there and talk to her. It's almost like she's been avoiding him since Ivy Week. But he has class and Chuck is watching and Serena's little worker bees are probably reporting back to her his every move. So he crosses the street and joins his best friends.

**-xx-**

Dan gets to the steps early and there she is:

Blair sits alone, a heavy textbook in her lap and a highlighter in her mouth as she scribbles notes quickly on a notepad.

"There you are," Dan greets with a grin, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were avoiding me."

Blair smiles awkwardly, "What would ever give you that idea?" Other than the fact that she _has_ been avoiding him because she knows his supposedly perfect girlfriend cheated on him with his supposed best friend. "Um, I've just been busy...lots of catching up to do."

"I can tell." Dan moves to sit down next to her, "What's that, Latin?" He chuckles, "We used to have a pretty interesting drinking game using that textbook."

Blair scrunches up her nose, "Oh, I just got a really unpleasant mental image."

Dan rolls his eyes, "No one had to get naked or anything," he says, "It was just the book, some verbs, and a very large bottle of absinthe."

It's Blair's turn to roll her eyes, "Of course it was," she says mockingly.

Dan chuckles, "Speaking of a little bit of everything," he says, opting to change the subject, "I talked to my academic advisor about applying to Yale next year. She seems to think it's good match."

Blair smiles, surprised to find that news can excite her so much, but still catching herself before getting too happy. "Um, I thought you were going to Brown with Serena." There's a question lingering there, both of them realize.

"Serena's always wanted to go to Brown. Lily—her mom—went there, too." Dan shrugs, "I hadn't given it much thought before, but now..." his voice trails off, "I don't know, I guess following Serena just isn't what I planned for my future. It was just what was expected and...any plan was better than no plan, right?"

"That sounds healthy."

Dan grins at her snappy sarcasm, "Well, I'm making my own plan now." he assures her, "Tossing the rule book out the window. You've...been a pretty decent influence on me, Brooklyn."

Blair smiles coyly, "You're not implying I'm the reason you're ditching your carefully mapped out future as an Upper East Side reformed renegade, are you?"

"My life has been planned out for me since I was…in pre-K. But you..." Dan licks his lips, smiles, "You are the first person that's ever made me think I can take a detour. That I can actually be something else, just..._more_." he pauses, "I guess I don't want to disappoint myself. Or you. Since you have such high expectations for me."

Blair kinks her eyebrows, "That's..." she clears her throat, "That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Thank you." And after a beat, wanting to ease the seriousness, "I had no idea you had it in you, Humphrey."

Dan laughs, "I'm just full of surprises, Waldorf." he says, leans forward to peck her cheek, "Seriously. Thank you. Lately it feels like you're my only real friend. I mean, like you're the only one who doesn't want me to act along to a pre-established agenda. You li—"

"—I like you for who you are." Blair finishes for him, looks away and smiles, "And I don't need you to be anything else." She shrugs, "That's what friends do. Don't mention it, Dan."

Dan nods, "Noted." he says, "Hey, wanna do something this weekend? There's a Hitchcock retrospective at the Angelika. Or they're showing Nanette at the Film Forum."

Blair notices Serena approaching along with Nate and she's trying to playfully put him in a headlock, and that uneasy feeling of having to hide something from Dan starts creeping up on her once more.

She also notices Chuck's trailing behind them with a wicked grin.

_Of course_, she thinks. The foursome never strays away from each other for too long.

_They're like a package deal. _

Still, she's missed Dan—their arguing and their banter and their cultural hangouts. "I'd love to." she says, "I gotta go, though," she stands up, gathers her books into her bag, "Call me tonight?"

Dan nods, "Got it," he says, "See ya around, Brooklyn."

"Later, Humphrey," Blair replies with an eye roll.

**-xx-**

"Dude, um, I don't think I'm gonna make it to Lost Weekend," Dan says, pulling Chuck aside in the hallway of St. Jude's, "I kinda made other plans."

Chuck narrows his eyes, "We have a deal, Daniel," he hisses, "And I expect you to keep up your end of the bargain."

"What, and attending Lost Weekend is your favor to be called upon later?" Dan questions with an eye roll.

"We agreed on everything returning to normal." Chuck says icily, "Lost Weekend is our tradition."

Dan shakes his head in annoyance, "Lost Weekend is _your_ tradition." he amends, "Nate and I just tag along for the ride. And it's always a bust for me anyways. I've been with S. for the last two years so it's not like I hook up, and I don't need to watch you and Nate get drunk and laid."

"You _know_ what happens when people break deals with me," Chuck says, the warning in his tone unmistakable.

Dan rolls his eyes, "You're not Rumplestiltskin, man," he says offhand, "And I'm not _breaking_ anything. It's one weekend, Chuck. What are you going to do, huh?" he pats his friend's shoulder before starting to walk away.

"There _will_ be consequences." Chuck calls out, "Don't forget, I'm Chuck Bass."

Dan clenches his fists, "Do _not_ make this into a thing, Chuck," he advices, "We're fine right now, but don't push it. Don't push _me_."

"Is this part of your little Brooklyn experiment?" Chuck snorts, "That won't last. It _can't_ last. Because it's not who you are. You're one of us. Always have been, always will be. The leopard doesn't change his spots so you might as well stop trying and fall in line." he slides a copy of his penthouse key into Dan's pocket, "Party starts at tonight."

Dan unclenches his fists, walks away once more, "Good." he calls out, "It can start and end without me, then!"

Nate walks up behind Chuck, lays a hand on his shoulder, "What's going on, dude?"

Chuck's eyes are like ice, "It appears young Daniel is in need a of a lesson." he says ominously.

"Seriously?" Nate rolls his eyes, his tone tired, "What now, Chuck? Dan's our boy, can't you just cut him some slack?"

Chuck glares, "You can't tell me you haven't noticed what's been going on," he says, "Even you are not that clueless, Nathaniel. Dan's pulling away. Slumming it in Brooklyn of all places! As you so accurately pointed out, he's our boy—it's our job to make sure he doesn't stray." he pauses for a beat, furrows his brow, "Unless you want him to... Nathaniel, are you _finally_ making a play for Serena? Because there are other ways to do that—better ways than losing Daniel to Williamsburg."

"Cut it out, Chuck." Nate hisses, "Don't start anything. I think you've done enough damage as of late." He states as slams his locker door shut. "Just back off." he advices before walking away.

Chuck purses his lips, pulls out his phone, "Lets give Daniel one last chance to come through." he mutters to himself, already composing his next tip to Gossip Girl in his head.

**-xx-**

Dan and Blair meet up at the Film Forum, having opted to watch Nanette at Blair's request.

(_Nanette is an inspiration_, she'd said.)

Dan sprung for the tickets, but Blair insisted on getting the popcorn, and then they took a cab to Café Pedlar. Blair insisted they made great coffee.

(Just follow my lead, Humphrey. You're used to doing that.)

"Okay, you were right," Dan relents as he swallows another gulp, "They _do_ have good coffee here."

Blair says nothing, just grins like a little girl, almost as if she's saying 'I told you so!' with a smile.

Dan grins, "Stop gloating." he says, "Mm, did you finish the book I gave you?"

"I did, actually," Blair nods, "You were right. It's very...indie. But I like it. It's got a little bit of an Eggers vibe, you know?"

Dan replies, "Yes! And I also got a hint of Allen Ginsberg, you know, he just kept popping up in the back of my mind." he smiles, "So on a scale of one to five?"

Blair pouts her lips in thought, "3.5, maybe 4, _if_ I'm feeling generous. I'm a tough critic."

"I'm aware."

"So, what else have you been getting into lately? 'Cause I know you have a book in your back pocket." Blair extends a hand out, "Hand it over."

"I've actually been in a very Vonnegut mood as of late." Dan says as he passes her a tattered copy of _Slaughterhouse-5_, "And we're getting into Irving for Lit class so I'm also reading _A Prayer for Owen Meany_."

"Really? We're still discussing _Catch-22_," Blair replies as she reads over Dan's highlighted quotes and select margin annotations, "I liked it, but I'm kinda ready to move on, you know?"

Dan sips more coffee, "Yeah," he says, "So what're you reading on your spare time? You're like me—you're always reading something on the side."

"I was trying to get into Kerouac for, like, the 5th time. Didn't really stick, though," Blair says, "_On the Road_. I've just never gotten the appeal."

Dan smirks knowingly, "Of course you don't." he chuckles.

Blair's eyes widen, "What is _that_ supposed to mean?!"

"Easy, Brooklyn," Dan raises his palms appeasingly, "It's just that..._On the Road_ is about following your own path. Acting on impulse. And you, Blair Waldorf, are a girl with a set plan. It's not a bad thing. It's just how you are."

"Oh, and you're Mr. Impulse?" Blair counters, "It's...misogynistic and ultimately unreal."

Dan sighs, "_We lay on our backs, looking at the ceiling and wondering what God had wrought when He made life so sad._" he quotes, "You gotta look beyond all of that. The book...it's got its own kind of beauty. And there's nothing wrong with having a plan. It's just...lately I'm seeing there are pros for deviating from it. Going off course can be a good thing. You just gotta now where you wanna end up."

Blair blinks, "I'll give it another shot." she says, "Maybe there's something I'm missing."

Dan smiles, "Maybe there is."

Then his phone vibrates in his pocket—a text message.

**From: Chuck Bass**

_SOS._

"Is everything okay?" Blair asks.

"Yeah, it's nothing," Dan's about to turn off his phone when another message comes in.

_N's in trouble. _

"Uh, just give me a sec." Dan steps outside to dial Chuck, "You better not be screwing around, Chuck. What's going on?"

"_Look, Nate's in trouble_," Chuck says, "_Carter Baizen popped up and Nate fell for his sad little speech. It's like he brainwashed him with his money-is-evil bullshit_."

Dan rubs his eyes, "So, what, you're calling me because Nate found a new buddy?"

"_I'm calling you 'cause Baizen set him up. We need to go get him. _Now."

"Fuck," Dan mutters, "Where is he?"

"_Queens._" replies Chuck, and the disdain in his tone is practically palpable, _"Come on, Daniel, time to step up."_

Dan sighs, "Fine." he relents. He's not gonna leave Nate hanging.

Chuck grins, "_Let's go get our boy_."

"Text me the address. I'll meet you there." Dan says before hitting the 'END' button.

Dan walks back inside, "Hey, I'm sorry," he says, picking up his coat, "Something just came up. Friend's in trouble."

Blair nods, "It's fine." she says, attempting to be understanding even though she's disappointed their evening is ending so suddenly, "You can't leave a friend hanging."

"I don't want to leave _you_ hanging." Dan replies, pulling some cash out of his wallet to pay, "I promise I'll make it up to you, okay?"

Blair smiles, "I'll hold you to that."

**-xx-**

Dan puts Blair in a cab back home and gets himself down to Queens. Chuck is waiting for him eagerly.

"What the hell happened?"

"Baizen robbed me." Chuck informs him matter-of-factly, "He's just a pain-in-the-ass defector trying to find his way back into our world."

Dan sighs, "Lets just get Nate and get outta here."

They arrive just in time because it looks Carter did in fact set up Nate to take a pretty big loss and Nate was just about to get his ass kicked because he couldn't pay.

"Oy, hands off!" Dan steps in, ready to beat down whoever gets in their way so they can make a quick escape, but it's Chuck who pulls Baizen aside.

After a few whispered words, Carter steps up. "It's cool. I got him covered."

The goons release Nate, and Dan pulls him over with them. "You alright, man?" Nate just nods.

Chuck gestures towards the door, "It's time to go now."

They're in the comfort of Chuck's limo in minutes, heading back to the Upper East Side where they're the kings of the playground.

"Thanks for having my back." Nate tells his friends, "You were right about Baizen, Chuck," he adds, "The guy's a weasel."

Dan smiles, "You know we'd never leave you hanging," he says, "And you should thank Chuck, really. He's the one who called me. _And_ got our asses outta there."

Chuck just smirks—this feels right in a way they haven't been right in a while now. The Three Musketeers back in sync. The beginning of the return to normalcy.

And then their phones go off. They pull them out and read.

Chuck's eyes widen as he realizes it's the Gossip Girl blast:

_Good evening, Upper East Sidders! _

_I have a scoop that's too good to wait until morning: _

_We all thought it was **D** who managed to swipe **S's** V-card back in Junior High, but it turns out someone else managed to claim that uncharted territory for the first time. And who might that be, you ask? None other than our resident Golden Boy: **N**. _

_It seems that while our resident Upper East Side Renegade was busy in Paris, **N** and **S** were busy rumpling the sheets. _

_As **D** is about to learn, nobody can stick a knife between the ribs quite like the people closest to us._

_You know you love me. _

_xoxo, Gossip Girl_


	7. That Was Then

**AN: I'm majorly psyched that so many of you are still reading this. I'm trying to make up for my lack of updating. This chapter is pretty D/S/N/C centered because I wanted to write in their reactions, but next one will definitely be more Dair. **

* * *

**The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

That Was Then...

"The trouble with friends was that you couldn't get rid of them. There was no way to take back a friendship in the wake of betrayal or disappointment. The friendship, and everything that went with it, stayed. It just became unreliable, like an abandoned house; you still knew where all the rooms were, and which stairs creaked underfoot, but you had to check every floorboard for rot before trusting your weight to it."

― Chris Moriarty

**-xx-**

_Good evening, Upper East Sidders!_

_I have a scoop that's just too good to wait until morning: _

_We all thought it was **D** who finally managed to swipe **S's** V-card back in Junior High, but it turns out someone else laid claim to that uncharted territory for the first time. And who might that be, you ask? None other than our resident Golden Boy: **N**. _

_It seems that while our favorite Upper East Side Renegade was busy in Paris, **N** and **S** were busy rumpling the sheets. _

_As **D** is about to learn, nobody can stick a knife between the ribs quite like the people closest to us._

_You know you love me. _

_xoxo, Gossip Girl_

**-xx-**

"Shit." Nate presses hand to his soon-to-be bruised jaw, he feels the metallic tinge of blood on his tongue.

The three friends stand outside Nate's town house.

Chuck struggles to hold Dan back. This is certainly a first because Chuck is firmly against anything that could mar the perfection of his face, and taking a stray punch from Dan would certainly fuck Chuck up.

"Lets try to resolve this without resorting to using our fists, Daniel," Chuck attempts to reason, "We're not savages."

Dan struggles against Chuck's hold, "DID YOU SLEEP WITH HER!?" he howls, finally breaking free and rushing to pin Nate to the ground, "You son of a bitch, I oughta kill you!"

"Dan, it wasn't like that." Nate starts, not even bothering to fight against Dan, figuring that he deserves whatever he gets. This broke the Bro Code on all levels.

Dan scoffs, "What was it like, then?" he demands, "Besides my best friend fucking my girlfriend behind my back!"

Nate sighs, "Look, I never meant for it to go as far as it did, all right? I didn't want—"

"Don't fucking lie to me and say you didn't want it!" Dan cuts him off, "'Cause we both know you did."

"I'm sorry! Alright, I know how long you and I've been best friends—"

"We're not anything!" Dan shoves Nate away, "Okay—you're _done_! From now on, you stay the hell away from me!"

Chuck ushers Dan into the limo, turns to Nate, "I got him."

"Chuck, you—" Nate starts.

Chuck cuts him off, "Just go home, Nathaniel." he says, climbs into the limo and they drive off.

**-xx-**

The sun rises and Dan is still pacing angrily around Chuck's suit at the Palace.

All night long, Dan's been refusing booze, drugs and women.

Chuck's at a loss of how he can help if Dan won't accept anything that he's offering—other than drugs, sex and alcohol, what else is there to cope with the pain?

"Have a scotch already and stop pacing," Chuck advices as he pours himself another Macallan neat. "You're making me dizzy."

Dan grabs the glass and downs the liquor in a sip, if only to shut Chuck up. "This is fucked up." he finally says, "You should've let me kick his ass."

"And what would that have accomplished, Daniel?" Chuck muses.

Dan frowns, "I'm sorry, are you taking Nate's side on this?" he demands, "He slept with Serena! Okay, he _fucked her_ while I was away, and then he hid it from me for almost _three years_!"

"Either shit or get off the pot, Daniel." Chuck says with an even tone, "Because you cannot have it both ways."

"_What_?" Dan demands in a hiss, the anger making his blood boil.

"You don't want her." Chuck states, and Dan's face morphs from anger to confusion.

Chuck raises a skeptical eyebrow, "Am I wrong?" he questions, "You do not _want_ Serena. Maybe before. But not anymore. And Nate, _he does_. He's always wanted her. Now, it was a huge douche move, but he has been your best friend since pre-school. Are you really going to let _pussy_ come between you?"

Dan shakes his head, "It's not that simple." he says, "And do not talk about Serena that way. She wasn't a hit-it-and-quit-it for me—I _loved her._"

"Yeah, lov_ed_." Chuck repeats, emphasizing the past tense. "But you don't anymore."

Dan plops down onto the couch, buries his face in his hands, "This is all so fucked up." he mutters.

"Look, I only care about three things: money, the pleasures money brings me, and you two morons." Chuck starts, moves over to sit on the coffee table in front of Dan, "So, find a way to punish Nathaniel accordingly—go kick his ass if you think it'll help, send those incriminating pictures of him to Gossip Girl, steal his pot supply for the month—_whatever_. Just do what it takes to make it square and move on already."

Dan chuckles wryly, "You don't get it, do you?" he scoffs, "Th-this changes everything. We're not gonna be the same again."

**-xx-**

Dan walks into his house to find Serena sitting on his living room couch.

Even when she's running on zero sleep, Serena is beautiful.

When she sits there—her feet tucked under her, hands knotting anxiously in her lap—it's easy for Dan to remember why it is he fell in love with her once upon a time.

"What are you doing here?" Dan asks, his tone dry and detached.

Serena stands up, faces him, "Danny..." Her big, dark-blue eyes look even stormier as they gloss over with tears.

"_Don't_." Dan raises a hand to stop her, "Just don't—don't call me that, don't cry, don't give me whatever half-assed explanation you've been up all night concocting. I'm _done_."

Serena moves towards him, cupss his face in her hands, "Dan, it was a long time ago," she says, "And it was a mistake. I am sorry. But we can start over. This doesn't mean we have to end. We can work through this... Dan, I love you."

Dan shakes his head, grips her hands and pulls them off his face, "You don't love me," he steps back, "you love _you_! You love what I can do _for you_!"

"Danny—"

"And I'm done." Dan continues, undeterred, "So get out... I mean it, get out!"

Serena lets out a sob, "Dan, please,"

"GET OUT!" Dan finally screams, he rubs his eyes, "Serena, we're done. So just get out." And with that he disappears upstairs.

**-xx-**

Chuck has been drinking himself into a stupor ever since Dan left that morning.

The shit really hath hitteth the faneth—and not in a good way.

Chuck stumbles towards the door when he hears the incessant knocking. He's only mildly surprised to find Serena standing there. He's been expecting this.

"Come on in, S." Chuck steps aside to let her inside. "I assume you've already spoken to Daniel."

Serena stands in the suite's living room, arms crossed over her chest. "Yeah, I have." she replies, "He said he's done with me."

"Dan will come around." Chuck says, offers her a glass of scotch.

"Only three people knew about that summer, Chuck." Serena says evenly; not angry, not sad, just stating a fact. "And I know Nate and I didn't send in the tip."

Chuck's jaw twitches almost imperceptibly, and he looks away.

This is the closest Chuck Bass has come to feeling ashamed and, dare he say it, _guilty_.

Before Dan and Nate ever came into the picture as his_ bros_, Chuck had met Serena.

Serena had been the one who introduced Chuck to Dan and Nate.

Serena had made them the Three Musketeers of the Upper East Side.

Hell, Serena _made_ him Chuck.

(Before that, he was just little _Charles_.)

**-xx-**

They were five years old, playing in the exclusive Park Avenue Presbyterian playground when Serena spotted a little boy with purple shoes peeing on the sunflowers.

Serena watched interestedly as the teacher ran over to scold Chuck.

"Charles!" Ms. Harvey had shrieked, "Our private parts are just that—_private_!"

Chuck smirked coyly—even at five he was a conceited asshole. "I just wanted to water the flowers." he replied, "You're supposed to."

Ms. Harvey pinched the bridge of her nose, "Zip up your pants and go play, Charles."

Serena giggled at the funny boy who wanted to water the plants. "What's that's boy name?" she asked, tugging at the teacher's skirt.

"That's Charles."

"Chuck." Serena pronounced, decidedly shortening the name, running off after the funny boy who was already planning some more mischief. "Chuck! Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!" she hollered, wandering around in search of him. "Chuck, play with me!" she demanded.

The other kids picked up the chant immediately: "_Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!_"

The name had stuck.

As had Serena. The little blonde girl practically became Chuck's tail, and eventually Chuck started to like it (to like her, too).

The teachers were glad that little Charles had finally made a friend. He was a particularly difficult child who did not play well with others, and in many ways Serena had become a calming influence on him.

(Though in many others Serena just served to spur him on, and vice versa.)

"Charles!" The teachers would scold.

"I'm not Charles." Chuck raised an eyebrow cockily, "_I'm Chuck Bass_."

**-xx-**

Serena had _made_ him Chuck Bass.

And because of that history, Chuck (like Dan and Nate) had kept Serena on a pedestal.

Which is why felt bad when he didn't do right by her. And with that last blast, he had effectively screwed her over.

Big time.

"It wasn't about you, S." Chuck answers, licking his lips slowly, "I was angry. At Dan, at Nate."

Serena scoffs, arms crossed over her chest, "So you trashed _my_ relationship and _their_ friendship because _you_ were pissed off!"

Chuck looks away, "It was a mistake."

"It was a _choice_, Chuck." Serena corrects, "And it was a bad choice to make, and a chickenshit thing to do to your three best friends."

"I'm sorry."

Serena scoffs, "You're an asshole." she hisses, "They didn't deserve this from you—_I_ didn't deserve this from you."

"And what?" Chuck questions with certain disdain, almost as if daring her. "You're gonna tell them I sent in the tip?"

Serena shakes her head, "I'm not going to tell them anything." she says, "Because for better or worse, you're all any of us really has left. How ironic is that! Or was that your endgame all along?"

"I wasn't thinking, S." Chuck says, this time with a measure of sincerity, "Okay, I didn't _think_. I was pissed off at Dan and Nate for bailing, and I wanted to screw them over. _I am sorry_."

"This time sorry's not good enough." Serena states, "Goodbye."

Chuck closes his eyes at the slamming of the door, "_Fuck_!" he hisses, hurling the scotch glass towards the wall.

**-xx-**

Dan stood in his room wearing only a pair of shredded soccer-shorts while absentmindedly bouncing a soccer ball on his knees.

(Old habit to relieve the tension.)

Over the last twelve hours _everything_ had changed.

The things he's counted on for as long as he could remember had suddenly shifted.

Sure, they (Dan and Serena and Nate and Chuck) had always hurt other people, most of the time for sport. But they'd never hurt each other, at least not like that.

And it's suddenly making Dan question everything. Because maybe they really have been hurting each other all along.

Maybe they've just been hiding it because they can't revel in the pleasure of breaking each other.

All in all, they were all considerably predictable.

All four of them were completely the product of their upbringing:

Lily van der Woodsen danced through life, always marrying_ a_ man, but never marrying _the right_ man. Her first life lesson to Serena had been:

"_Men don't stay._"

So Serena found herself three men—one to make her laugh, one to love her unconditionally, one to protect her—who would always stay.

Serena would never become her mother.

Nate's parents were in a relatively happy marriage, but they were never really all _there_.

So Nate had always been irresolute. His relationships had always been uncommitted and his answers had always been equivocating.

Nate wasn't sure of _anything_—except Dan and Chuck and Serena. _Especially _Serena_._

Bart Bass had never hugged Chuck enough, consistently calling him lazy and vain. Bart frequently chided Charles for lacking ambition and performing poorly in school.

Misty Bass was a well-groomed socialite and a superb trophy wife. Her job was to look pretty, hire the maids, and make sure Charles always had a nanny available. Popping Xanax and Paxil was just an added benefit.

So Chuck grew cold, distant. People were pawns, and you either played them or you got played.

Chuck believed that in a family, as in a friendship, everyone was expendable until they were needed.

(Though it was hard to hold Serena and Dan and Nate to those standards, Chuck had always excelled at being selfish.)

Despite being a rolling stone, Rufus Humphrey loved his children.

But he was never around.

Alison—Dan's mother—was in Paris, making art and shacking up with her new lover.

So Dan learned to be independent, to need no one, because people were inconsistent at best.

(But he'd always had Serena and Nate and Chuck—they've always been his constant.)

Dan bounced the soccer ball too hard. It flew off, knocking down a shelf and everything resting on it. He kneeled to pick up a few books, some trophies and a broken picture frame:

Serena stared back at him with her ethereal smile. She was piggybacking Nate who had Chuck in a playful headlock while Dan blew a kiss on Serena's cheek.

They couldn't be more than fifteen in that picture.

Dan grabs the broken frame—picture and all—and tosses it in the trash bin. He reaches for his iPhone and scrolls through his contacts, double-tapping Blair Waldorf's name to call her. As of late, she is the only honest person in his life.

"_Humphrey_," Blair greets with her usual friendly snark.

Dan smiles in spite of himself, "Hey, I'm sorry if you're busy, but...look, I just need to talk to someone—_you_." he sighs, "Can you come over?"

"_Yes_." Blair replies immediately; she can hear the tension in his voice. "_I'll be there soon. Are you alright_?"

Dan licks his lips, "Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm gonna be."


	8. Use Your Disillusion

**AN: **Sorry for the delay. It took me a while to get over that shit-pile they called a finale, but Dair still owns my heart.

* * *

**The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

Use Your Disillusion

"They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered."  
―F. Scott Fitzgerald

**-xx-**

Dan paces all throughout his library; he's still in his soccer shorts, still bouncing the soccer ball between his knees.

He tells Blair everything—how he and Serena had just known each other forever and how he had become best friends with Nate and then how Chuck came into their world. He tells her how it had always been there between Serena and Nate and how they'd finally slept together when he was with his mom that one summer and how it was just one huge betrayal and how it all felt like a big lie now and how he took a couple of swings at Nate and how nothing is going to be the same again.

Dan tells her everything, but he doesn't stop moving, can't seem to stand still.

So Blair sits (first indian style on the couch and then on the coffee table and then back to the couch), and she listens, and she occasionally tosses him back the soccer ball when he bounces it too hard.

"...and it's all so _beyond_ fucked up right now." Dan finishes and he finally stops moving, looks at the girl who flashes him an encouraging smile. He sighs, "Thanks for listening to all of that. You didn't really have to."

Blair shrugs, "It's what friends do." She walks over to him, stands on her tiptoes and wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, "I'm sorry everything seems so hopeless right now. But it'll get better."

Dan closes his eyes, circles his toned arms around her petite waist and holds her tight. He can't help the comparisons that automatically form in his brain:

(Such are the perils of having loved the same girl for as long as he could remember.)

Blair is smaller than Serena. When she's barefoot like now, Dan towers over her.

Blair is warmer, too. When she wraps her arms around you, you feel better, you feel..._safe_.

Blair listens—like _really_ listens. She's intelligent, she's intuitive, she weeps when she watches _Nights of Cabiria_—and she _reads_.

Dan nuzzles his face into her chocolate locks (notices she's not wearing a headband today), and breathes her in.

(L'Occitane shampoo, which he didn't expect from her.)

But she does...she does smell nice.

And Blair lets him hold her for as long as he needs to. She doesn't pull away. That's good, too.

"It'll be okay," Blair reassures when Dan finally lets go and looks into her eyes, "But, uh, I need to tell you something."

Dan immediately feels a stab of worry because he doesn't want to have anything more crumbling down right now. "What?"

Blair sighs, takes a step back, "At the Ivy luncheon, I..overheard Nate and Serena arguing. Nate wanted to tell you about sleeping with Serena, and she didn't want to." She pauses, "I wasn't sure how to tell you before. I don't know, I guess I thought maybe one of them would step up and tell you the truth. It...I didn't want to have to put you through this right now. But I also told you I wouldn't lie to you because we trust each other. So I'm telling you now."

Dan blinks, "You hid it from me," he starts, "...because you didn't want to hurt me?" He furrows his brow.

"Yes." Blair replies, "I didn't want to get in the middle of things when I didn't have all the facts. I wasn't sure if it'd do more harm than good."

This is kind of a first for him: deception and scheming and manipulating for sport—for the pleasure of taking someone down—_that_ he is familiar with.

But hiding something to spare someone's feelings? That's certainly a first in his group of friends.

Dan kinks his eyebrows, "I, uh, I get it." he says, "It's...fine. You were looking out for me."

Blair half-smiles, "Trying to, yeah."

A pause stretches out between them as they now sit on the couch next to each other. "Thanks." Dan says, "For telling me everything."

Blair nudges him gently, "I've got your back, Humphrey."

"Yeah?" Dan asks, throwing an arm around the brunette's shoulders.

Blair smiles up at him, "Yes." She beams, "Ooh! What're we reading tonight?"

"We're reading?"

"Yes." Blair assures him with a firm nod, "Because I'm in the mood, and you need a distraction that won't ruin your kidney." She motions towards the empty bottles atop the bar.

Dan rolls his eyes at the judgment, but acquiesces the request, "Fine." he agrees, "What are we reading?"

Blair walks around the grand library eyeing all the shelves. Finally she pulls out a pretty tattered copy, the cover reads_ The History of Love_. "Huh," she kinks her eyebrows, "This seems a little...corny for you."

Dan shrugs, "I'm just full of surprises." he says, "Wanna check it out?"

"Yeah." Blair smiles, "But this time, I'm reading to you for a change."

"Deal."

This time around, Dan rests his head on Blair's lap and lets her soothing voice run through him as she recites the words aloud. He closes his eyes when she starts to slowly run her fingers through his hair.

Blair hums, "Heh, I'm always curious about the passages you highlight." she comments, "Like this: _Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his while life answering_."

"What's curious about it?" Dan asks, his eyes fluttering open.

"Were you in love?"

Dan shrugs noncommittally, "I don't know. Maybe."

"Was this...when you were with Serena?"

Dan clears his throat, "Uh, no, I don't think so," he mutters. Bites back what he meant to say: _I started reading this book when I met_ you. "Will you read a little more, please?"

Blair blinks, hesitantly leans down to press a kiss to is forehead, "Sure."

They fall back into an easy rhythm, and Blair stays there with Dan until he falls asleep.

**-xx-**

The whispers and murmurs start long before Dan makes his morning appearance of the steps of the MET.

Everyone seems to quiet down as he walks by, and Dan's unsure as to wether that amuses or annoy him.

So he sits down on the steps away from his usual gang, pulls out his copy of _The Art of Fielding_ and reads until it's time to head into class.

Still, Dan can't help but notice certain things: Serena shines because of her absence; Nate stands on the corner opposite to him, the bruise on his jaw nearly faded; Chuck on the other hand sits on high, joint pinched between his lips while he assesses his friends as if they were on a battlefield.

"When are you going to let Nate off the hook?" Chuck inquires during first period lit.

Dan scoffs, "You can't be serious."

"Talk to Chuck, buddy." Chuck encourages, "We can make this right again."

Dan's fists reflexively ball up, "Stop, alright. Just _stop_." he hisses, "This isn't something you can patch over with a few call girls and a lap dance okay?"

"Drugs, then?" Chuck inquires.

Dan breathers—inhale, exhale. "Back off, Chuck. I mean it."

"Just come by the Palace tomorrow" Chuck entices, "We'll have fun, let loose. What's the harm?"

"If I say yes will you back off?" Dan questions.

Chuck smirks, "Yes."

"Then yes. Tomorrow." Dan concedes, focusing back his attention to what Mr. Perry was explaining.

**-xx-**

Meanwhile, Nate was experiencing the first tinges of being a social pariah—the only thing more amusing than the shining Golden Boy is the fallen Golden Boy.

The guys from the lax team all ignore him, Anthony Avuldsen and Charlie Dern are avoiding all eye-contact, and even Jeremy Scott Tompkinson seems to be pretending Nate doesn't exist.

Nate just shrugs it off and plays it cool.

Until one of the soccer team goons trips him in the middle of the hall.

Nate gets up and charges the guy, "What the hell's your problem?!" he demands, shoving him back.

"Douches who bang their best friend's girl," The guy laughs it off with two of his buddies as he shoves Nate back, "What're you going to do about it?"

It only escalates after that. Because Nate is no pussy-boy which means he doesn't back off so he takes a swing at the guy. That's when the other two jump in to wail on Nate.

"FIGHT!" — "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The loud chants break out and spread throughout the hallways. Plenty of onlookers have already pulled out their phones to take photos and/or videos of the rumble which will soon be spread out all over Gossip Girl.

Normally the fight would've never gotten this far. Hell, normally there wouldn't have been a fight in the first place because who was going to dare to take a swing at the Golden Boy, especially when Dan (who was well known for getting into fights back in their junior high days) always had his back.

"Hey!" Chuck steps in, pulling one of the guys off which allows Nate to properly deck the other one. "Fuck off!"

When the third guy gets ready to charge Nate once more, Chuck presses a hand to his chest, "Oy! You don't want to mess with me." he hisses in warning, "I'm Chuck Bass. I will _end you_."

"It's enough, let's go, guys. He's not worth it."

Chuck grabs Nate's book-bag and hands it over, "You all right, man?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Nate answers.

"They're just losers, Nathaniel." Chuck says.

Nate runs a hand through his hair. He is so freaking tired right now—Serena is officially ignoring him, Dan is still pissed, and it's the first time Nate has actually felt lonely. "Back off, Chuck," he snaps, "Look, I know you're trying to help, but stop. Just stop..." he sighs, "Back off, dude."

Chuck clenches his fists, glances around and notices how he now holds the attention of everyone in the hallway, "Show's over!" he bellows, slamming a locker door as he makes his way outside.

**-xx-**

The first day she is officially single, Serena decides to be a cliché and stay in bed all day.

(School and the rest of the world can wait.)

Lily is off in Switzerland with #4 (because after a while it's easier to assign them numbers instead earning the new husband's names), but Erik is around.

He comes into her room with a bag of cheetos and crawls under the covers with her. Serena ruffles his hair and offers a sad thank-you.

(Serena doesn't have to tell him anything, doesn't need to explain. Gossip Girl already plastered all the details.)

They watch cartoons on Nickelodeon and Erik tries to make her laugh, and it's nice, really, but it's to no avail.

Erik eventually leaves for school and Serena just wallows for the rest of the day.

It's times like these that Serena wishes she had a girlfriend. Because right now she's lonelier than ever, and Serena doesn't do _lonely_.

But she can't _have_ Dan, _can't_ have Nate, and doesn't _want_ Chuck. She feels oddly empty right now.

It's sometime after three that Blair Waldorf shows up at her door.

"I brought your homework." Blair says, "Ms. Delacour granted you an extension on the French paper."

Serena just raises a skeptical eyebrow from her poster bed. "And why are _you_ bringing it to me?"

Blair bites back the '_because no one else wanted to_.' Instead says, "Just being nice, I guess."

Serena scoffs, "You can cut the innocent-girl-from-Brooklyn act," she says, "This is what you wanted, isn't it? Now Dan's free and clear, and you can make your move."

Blair shakes her head in disbelief. "You people are so _twisted_." she replies, "Dan is my friend and he's hurt. I'd never wish that on a friend. And I was just trying to be kind by bringing over your work. Believe me, I never expected a thank you." She drops the books at the foot of the bed, "I hope you feel better, Serena." she adds before leaving.

Serena falls back into her pillows and groans. She hates this version of herself, the territorial, selfish bitch. She much prefers to be nice, happy Serena.

Problem is right now everything seems to messed up it's hard to get back to normal.

**-xx-**

Chuck Bass appears at her door with box of Twinkies and a bottle of tequila he swiped from a bar.

"I come bearing gifts!" he announces proudly.

Serena raises a skeptical eyebrow, "Twinkies?" she questions, "Where'd you get those?" Chuck Bass does _not_ go to the market to shop for sweets.

"Bart bought out Hostess' supply." Chuck replies offhand, as if it were nothing, "I remember you particularly enjoyed them when we were five."

Serena glares, but takes one of the Twinkies out of the box and tears the plastic wrapping with her perfect teeth.

Chuck continues, "I would've brought cinnamon Pop-Tarts," he says, "But I know that's a Nate-thing." There's a short pause before Chuck adds, "He misses you, by the way."

Serena purses her perfect lips, "Here," she extends half a Twinkie to Chuck, "Put something in your mouth other than your foot." Chuck smirks before leaning forward to accept the Twinkie.

Serena giggles when he playfully bites her finger and then she sticks her tongue out, flashing him the chewed cake. Chuck replies in kind, and they both laugh.

An unspoken truce is arranged in that moment: Serena wants to disappear for a day of wallowing and Chuck wants to ease the leftover pangs of guilt from screwing his best friends over.

They can help each other out.

They watch _The Amityville Horror_ and laugh at all the parts that are supposed to be scary and Serena asks, "Why am I friends with you?"

"Because, sweetheart," Chuck says simply, "We are a classic example of failing _up_."

Serena giggles, "I'll drink to that!" she takes a swig of tequila straight from the bottle and passes it to Chuck.

They stay up until 4 a.m. and and binge on candy and drink up Lily's scotch stash until they finally fall asleep.

(_Maybe having Chuck isn't so bad_, Serena concludes sometime after she starts drifting off to sleep. _Someone is better than no one, after all_.)

**-xx-**

Blair sits on her living room couch, legs curled up under her and a novel in hand when a knock at the apartment door pulls her out of her reverie.

Dan stands at her door with an armful of movies and a bag of popcorn. "Hey, Brooklyn," he greets easily, "Sorry to just drop in, are you busy?"

"Not really," Blair says, stepping aside, "Come on in."

Dan shrugs off his coat, "So, I brought over your favorites," he announces, "_Tiffany's_ and _Roman Holiday_, but I also brought over _Almost Famous_ 'cause I'm just in that mood, and it's kind of a guilty pleasure of mine so you can't say no."

"Fine." Blair agrees, reaches for the popcorn bag, "But I'm not sharing."

Dan smirks, "Fair enough."

Blair sets up the movie and they settle down on the couch, and then Blair chuckles, "Dan Humphrey slumming it in Brooklyn of all places." she exclaims teasingly.

Dan flashes her a smile, "It's not Brooklyn I'm here for."


	9. Everything's Different

**The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

Everything's Different, Nothing's Changed

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."

―Oscar Wilde

**-xx-**

"Ugh..." Dan moans lowly as he sits up on the familiar couch, he rubs circles on his fever-ridden temple with his forefingers in a vain attempt to alleviate the pounding headache. "Chuck..." he calls out hoarsely, "Chuck..." He attempts standing up, but plops back down because the room just won't stop spinning. "Chuck!"

"Daniel." Chuck sits up on his bed, rubs his eyes lazily, "Keep it down. Some of us are trying to get our beauty sleep." Two women from room service are half-dressed and wrapped around Chuck.

Dan groans, "We have class." he says, "I think... We're supposed to be at school already." He looks down at himself, realizes he's wearing the remnants of last night's tux.

_What the hell happened last night?_, Dan wonders as he rummages his pockets for his phone and wallet.

"Took care of that." Announces Chuck from his spot on the bed, "We are out with the flu for the day." He adds, "You're welcome."

Dan lies back down on the couch. It feels like something died in his mouth. His hand roots around the carpeted floor in search of something to drink and stop when he grabs a bottle. Absolut. He takes long swig and finishes the bottle.

Last night must've been killer because he can barely feel the liquor sliding down his throat. His heavy eyelids flutter closed and he gives in to sleep for a couple more hours.

**-xx-**

A few hours later, Dan wakes up to what he perceives to be the abnormally loud whirring noise of a blender. "Uugh," he moans, sitting up slowly this time. "Chuck!" he calls out.

"Ah, it lives!" Chuck exclaims from behind the bar where he was currently mixing some green-like concoction. "Good afternoon, Rip Van Winkle."

Dan presses the base of his hand to his temple, "What's that noise?" he asks, his free hand scavenging around poker chips for his phone.

Three missed calls from Nate. A voicemail from Rufus. A few texts from Jenny. And one from Blair—the only one he bothers to read.

_Missed you today. You okay?_

Dan sighs, types back a quick reply that's more or less the truth and stashes his phone before Chuck can inquire who's texting him. "I don't even remember getting here last night." he says.

Chuck approaches him, sits on the table across from him, "A good time was had by all," he extends the high-ball glass filled with some green mixture and Dan takes it, "Trust me, that is _all_ you need to know."

Dan downs half of it in a gulp and winces at the taste. "Oh, god, what is this?" he groans.

"It burns away the hangover." Chuck supplies.

"Yeah, it feels like it's burning away half my stomach, too," Dan replies, taking another swig anyways because what the hell.

Chuck grins, "This is good. Last night was great. I was worried you wouldn't be able to keep up. You know, since Saint Daniel's been a fairly permanent fixture lately, but you outdid _me_ out there!" There's a sense of relief there; they can get back to business as usual with a little more scheming.

"Yeah, well," Dan starts, "Some things you just don't forget—like riding a bike."

Chuck smirks, "Any doubts I had about your endurance were most definitely quelled."

Dan shrugs, tilts his glass towards Chuck, "Yeah, well, here's to the glory days," he toasts somewhat sardonically.

Chuck smirks, "To the glory days!" He clinks his glass against Dan's, "Long live, eh," he chuckles, "So, what is on tonight's agenda?"

"Uh, nothing," Dan replies, jumping to his feet, "I've got plans tonight."

Chuck rolls his eyes, "What plans?" he demands.

"Nothing you need to know," Dan replies, setting the empty glass down on the table, "I gotta get home. I need to shower." he shrugs, "Possibly burn this tux."

Chuck's own phone beeps, a text from Serena.

_Cant believe you bailed 2day. No fair 2 party without me! :(_

"Your phone has been blowing up since last night." Dan declares, "Who is texting you? And is it business or pleasure?"

Chuck smirks with that trademark leer of his, "_Nonya_." he says cryptically. He figures it's best to not tell Dan that he's been hanging out with Serena for the past few days.

Dan wants to ask something more, but opts against it. With Chuck, give the choice, it is always better to _not_ know.

**-xx-**

Dan arrives at his house and jumps into the shower. It's not until he arrives at his bedroom that he notices it.

The garment bag is laid out on his bed. Inside is the Prince Charming tuxedo and the black-and-silver mask Serena had picked out for him last month. The masquerade was one of her favorite parties of the year.

As if on cue, his phone beeps with the latest Gossip Girl blast.

_Long ago, when European royals grew bored with palace balls, they took a page from the peons and added some pageantry. Couture and canapés are just another Saturday night until you add a mask, but preparing for a ball is an event in itself..._

_xoxo, Gossip Girl_

Dan eyes the tux and sighs. The day they (Serena) had picked out their outfits feels like forever ago now. He tosses it into his closet and dials Blair.

"Hey, Brooklyn," he greets, "Sorry I didn't call yesterday."

"_It's fine. Are okay, though? You weren't at school today._"

Dan rubs the back of his head, "Ah, I'm fine," he says, "It's nothing. A night out with Chuck really took it out of me."

"_What, the chauvinism and debauchery get too tiring for you?_"

"You mock, but it's very stressful being Dan Humphrey." he retorts, "But I do want to see you, if you're free that is."

"_That depends. What'd you have in mind?_"

Dan grins, "I don't know. Lady's choice. We can hit a movie, we can stay in. Wanna hit the Strand for something new to read?"

"_I am still at school right now. How about we go get a bite?_" Blair suggests, "_Pete's Tavern in fifteen?_"

"You got it, babe," Dan says automatically, reaching to slide on a button-down, "See ya there."

**-xx-**

Blair arrives to find Dan sitting on one of the outside tables, two glasses of water in front of him. Dark Ray-Bans cover his eyes and he flashes her a smile.

"I know, I'm late," Blair squeals, "Sorry!"

Dan winces a bit, the high noise piercing his head, "It's fine." he says, "I haven't ordered yet."

Blair eyes him curiously for a beat, then she pushes his sunglasses into his hair, "What's wrong with you?" she asks, brow furrowed in concern at the sight of his bloodshot eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Nothing." Dan squints, waves her hands away, "It's fine. I just...I told you, I went out with Chuck last night. It got a little intense. I'm fine."

Blair kinks her eyebrows, "You don't _look_ fine." she counters, "Is that why you missed school today?"

"Look, we all get a little drunk sometimes," Dan shrugs. "A little high, too. I was just trying to have a good time."

Blair blinks, "That doesn't sound like having a good time," she says, "That sounds like numbing yourself out. It's not healthy."

Dan rolls his eyes, "Can you get off the high horse, Blair?" he says, "I'm not really in the mood right now. It's all fine. I know how to take care of myself; lots of fluids, no passing out face-up, and plenty of aspirin the morning after.""

"I'm not on any high horse." Blair defends, "But you've been doing this a lot lately, and it's not good for you. You're not even legally supposed to be drinking yet, and you definitely shouldn't be drinking this much."

Dan says gruffly, "Seriously, I don't need you judging me right now."

Blair sighs, "I wasn't—"

"Yeah, you were." Dan cuts her off, "So just stop it!" he shakes his head, "I don't need this."

Blair tries to remain composed, "I know you're upset right now, and I know you feel like you've lost some friends and, you know, your dad just isn't there, but it's no excuse to drink yourself into a catatonic state."

"You know what, _don't_." Dan says, "Spare me the bullshit. I don't have a problem."

Blair scoffs, "You don't get to become an alcoholic just because you're a spoiled rich kid." she says pointedly, "You're better than that."

"Oh, thank god you weren't judging me!" Dan replies sarcastically.

"Look, I know you're lonely right now—"

Dan cuts her off again, "And you're not?" he accuses, "You have no one, either." As soon as the words leave his mouth, Dan regrets them, and when he sees hurt flash through her eyes, he knows he pushed it too far. "Blair, I—"

"Don't." Blair cuts him off this time around. "You're an asshole, Dan." she grabs her bag and storms away.

Dan buries his head in his hands, defeated and angry, "Yeah, I am," he mutters to himself, looks up to watch her walk away.

**-xx-**

The masquerade party appears to be the definition of decadence.

Nate stands alone in his Phantom of the Opera costume when Chuck suddenly pops up next to him. "Drink up." he instructs, handing his friend a glass. "You look like you need it."

"Thanks," Nate accepts the drink, takes a sip, "So, uh, you been hanging out with Serena lately?"

Chuck smirks, "Nathaniel," he comments, amused, "You keeping tabs on me?"

"You guys showed up in the Spotted Map." Nate replies, "Though I did hear you and Dan did some serious damage on a pub crawl. All five boroughs, huh?"

Chuck grins proudly, "I didn't think he'd make it past the first one," he says, "Our boy outdid me."

"Dan's not really my boy anymore." Nate downs what's left of his drink.

Chuck frowns, "Oh, enough!" he demands, "You fucked up. Whatever. It happens. He'll get over it, and so will you. Tonight is a night of expression, not repression. You both can hide behind your masks, but you can't hide your true desires. So drink up," he hands him another drink, "And relax. Everything will be alright."

**-xx-**

Blair opens the door to find a large box with an envelope on top. The expensive stationary feels heavy in her hands, and she already knows who must have sent the mystery package.

_Blair,_

_You were right. I'm sorry. _  
_I'd much rather have you by my side than spend another night of debauchery with Chuck. _  
_Please accept my apology and meet me tonight at the masquerade party._

_Yours,_

_Dan_.

Blair can't help the smile that tugs at her lips; she thinks for a second that Dan should pursue a career in writing because the boy certainly has a way of swaying you with words.

She opens the box to find a stunning dress, Oscar de la Renta according to the label, and just her size, too.

She reads the note over one more time and wonders if Dan Humphrey will ever stop taking her by surprise.

**-xx-**

Dan eyes Chuck's costume and laughs, "The Devil," he says, "How fitting."

Chuck rolls his eyes, "Mock all you want. I'm immune." he says, his eyes scouting for tonight's victim, "Who's it going to be?"

"You're on your own tonight, man."

"Oh, come _on_!" Chuck scoffs, "Are you _serious_? The Brooklyn project is _still_ going on? I thought you'd gotten over that."

"The real question is why does it bother you so much." Dan says, though he doesn't really care.

"No, the question is: are you honestly bringing Cinderella to the ball?" Chuck inquires, "You know it's only a matter of time until she turns back into a pumpkin, right?"

Dan's fists ball up, "Yeah, well," he starts, "You already turned back into a rat, Chuck, and it's not even midnight yet. Congratulations." he walks away, considers heading towards the bar but opts against it.

Chuck downs what's left of his scotch, spots Serena holding court over by Kati and Is. He sneaks up behind her, loops an arm around her, his hand resting against her stomach, "Hello, S." he whispers into her ear, "May I say, you look _ravishing_ this evening."

Serena laughs, "Chuck," she scolds, "You were supposed to wear a costume, you know."

"Funny." Chuck says, "Drink?"

Serena links her arm through his, "Lead the way, Bass."

**-xx-**

This time around Blair Waldorf's entrance doesn't demand attention—it automatically _captures_ it. She stands atop the grand staircase, half her face hidden away behind an intricate mask and her gown flowing around her.

Kati and Is speculate over the dress. Penelope and Hazel stop vying for Nate's attention and start throwing hushed guesses as to who she might be. Even Chuck and Serena pull away from the bar long enough to glance at the mystery girl.

But Dan recognizes her immediately and he moves over to wait for her at the bottom of the stairs, grinning in wonderment like an excited little boy. He cannot believe she actually showed up to the party.

Blair feels the pressure that comes from being the center of attention and extends a hand out.

Dan takes her gloved hand, drops a kiss on her knuckles. "M'lady," He offers his arm to her as she reaches the last step.

Blair hesitantly takes it, "M'lord," she replies, flashing him an ambivalent smile.

"Thanks for coming." Dan says, escorting her over to the dance floor.

Blair spins into his arms, "This doesn't mean you're off the hook."

"I know. I was a dick." Dan leads her around the dance floor with the grace that comes from years of mandatory dance lessons for the Junior League Cotillion committee. "What I said, I didn't mean it. I care about you, Blair. I'm sorry."

Blair smiles, this time for real, "I care about you, too."

"Good." Dan says, leaning closer to her. She could feel his breath on her lips, his fingers running through her hair. "I don't want to screw this up." He tilts his head, brushes his lips against hers softly.

Blair leans into the kiss, pulls him closer, "I won't let you." She assures him before pressing her lips against hers once more.

"Well, I think it's safe to say we've officially lost Daniel to the other side," comments Chuck, "Why do girls love to convert a sinner? Why can you feed them almost any line if they feel that they've reformed you?" he asks in slight annoyance.

Nate chuckles, "You can't ride two horses with one ass, Chuck," he says, "You said tonight is a night for expression, not repression. Dan's...going after what he wants. And you know what? I'm going to follow his lead." He hands Chuck his drinks and walks off in search of a blonde goddess. He spots her coming out of the bathrooms and slips up behind her.

"Serena, don't say anything. Just let me explain." Nate says, his breath hot against her ear, "I'm trying to do the right thing, but it's killing me. I know we both care about Dan, but I can't keep hiding how I feel. I'm not over you. And I thought I could fight it, but I can't. If you don't stop me, I'm gonna kiss you." He whirls her around and plants his lips against hers.

It's the first thing that feels _right_ in weeks.


	10. We Are The Kraken Of Our Sinking Ships

**The Other Side Of This Life**

**-xx-**

We Are The Kraken Of Our Own Sinking Ships

"Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it's a game, all right—I'll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a game about it? Nothing. No game."

—J.D. Salinger

-**xx-**

Dan and Blair command the attention of the entire room while they continue to dance with an innate ease, like their bodies are meant to move in harmony together.

When the song ends, everyone breaks out in polite applause and Dan leans over to whisper in Blair's ear, "You wanna get out of here?"

Blair considers it for a few seconds before nodding, "Lead the way, Humphrey." The party is amazing and she looks gorgeous, but being the center of attention with Dan among their obnoxious classmates doesn't particularly interest her at the moment.

"I'll go get our coats."

Dan waits by the coat check when Chuck pops up behind him, tugging at his arm. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Leaving." Dan replies easily, "What's your damage, Chuck?"

"Oh, snap out of it already!" Chuck demands, "What is the allure? Why has the charity case from Brooklyn got you so whipped?"

Dan shrugs, "Because she's smart, funny, insightful, intuitive," he sighs, "She loves to read, and she can match me. Y'know, 'cause she misses her mom even though she'd never ever admit to it. And I love the way she fits in my arms, the way she listens. I don't know, Chuck, she's just..._different_."

Chuck scowls as if he's about to vomit, "Look, I can understand that she holds a certain fascination—beautiful, delicate, and untouched. Brooklyn certainly has the Snow White thing going for her, but how about you pluck her already so she can wither away and disappear?"

Dan unclenches his fists a few times before speaking, "Chuck." he says harshly, "I've known you since we were toddlers. You've been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember. But this ends here, dude. Because if you have a problem with Blair, then _you_ can just wither away and disappear."

Kati pops up behind them calling out to Penelope about the latest gossip just as everyone's phones go off with the latest blast—

_Good evening, Upper East Sidders!_

_Boy, have I gotten a lot of blasts tonight! You'd think the #1 spot would go to **D.** and his **Brooklyn Cinderella**, but they've been usurped._

_Tonight's shocker is **GoldenBoy** _finally_ making his formal declaration of love to **S.** You'd think they'd just sail off into the sunset with their glimmering blonde hair shinning under the sun, but rumor has it **S.** fled the building faster than Elvis after locking lips with** N. **_

_I wonder what **D.** thinks about this new development... Keep me posted. _

_You know you love me._

_xoxo, Gossip Girl_

A machiavellian grin spreads across Chuck's lips even as an uncomfortable and unfamiliar feeling settles on the pit of his stomach, "Does it upset you?" he asks.

Dan frowns in thought, "Not really," he chuckles. "You were right, Chuck. I'd stopped loving Serena a long time ago, but Nate...he never stopped. And I don't think he ever will. So good for him having the guts to do something about it. I mean, he's still a douche, but at least he's got balls. And I've got an amazing girl waiting for me. Goodbye, Chuck."

Blair waits for Dan at the bottom of the grand staircase and Dan helps her with her coat.

Dan pecks her lips and they link arms together as they head out.

Chuck stands besides the bar realizing that all his friends have left and he is officially alone at this party. He reaches for a bottle of Glenlivet from the bar and refills his glass to the brim, downing it immediately. After getting his third refill he straightens up. "

Get it together, Bass." Chuck mutters to himself.

**-xx-**

Dan's hands tangle up in the brunette's hair while their lips continue to meld together perfectly, like clay.

They'd been arguing about something—he forgets what at the moment. "This doesn't...mean you're right," Blair mutters hotly against his lips.

"No, I know," He bends down, capturing her lips in the middle of a giggle. "I'm wrong. I'm very, very wrong."

Lowering Blair onto her back on the comfortable couch, his body hovers over hers. His left hand then begins unbuttoning her black blouse. After the first few buttons give way, Dan slips his hand inside, which causes Blair to moan against his mouth.

It's only been a couple of days since they got together and they haven't really gone past third-base, but Dan doesn't really care. Being with Blair is fun and different and they're _happy_. Or at least this is what Dan defines as happy.

And suddenly their bubble is burst. The loft door opens and Blair's father steps inside, suitcase in one hand and briefcase in the other, "Bear, I'm home," he calls out, stopping cold at the sight of some kid atop his daughter with his hands under her shirt.

Dan rolls off of Blair immediately, landing on the floor with a thud.

Meanwhile, Blair turns a bright shade of crimson, "Daddy this is Dan," she says, "My..._boyfriend_."

"Um, nice to meet you, Mr. Waldorf," Dan says, awkwardly clearing his throat, "Sir."

Harold Waldorf eyes him as if he were inspecting an insect and deciding whether or not he should crush it now or later. "Daniel." He gives him a succinct nod before disappearing into his bedroom.

Dan rubs his face, "Don't worry," he says, mocking Blair's voice, "My dad won't be back until tomorrow. It's fine!"

Blair laughs at his discomfort and embarrassment, "I'm sorry," she says, "I really thought he wouldn't be back this early."

"Laugh all you want, Brooklyn," Dan cups her face and pecks her lips, "But it's your dad who's gonna have it out for me now. I imagine that'll be loads of fun for you."

Blair rolls her eyes, "I actually think it's time I went through a bad-boy phase," she says teasingly.

"Bad boy, huh?" Dan smirks, pecks her lips playfully, "So, uh, I'm your boyfriend now? I mean, that's what you told your dad. I'm just...wondering."

"Yeah," Unlike most girls her age, Blair doesn't enjoy fooling around. She's only ever had two real relationships before, and she is not interested in something that isn't going anywhere. Even at eighteen, she knows her time is valuable, and she has no intention of wasting it. She really does like Dan: he's smart, he's handsome, he reads, he messes up and he's man enough to admit it, he knows how to apologize, and there's something enthralling about the way he reads aloud to her.

A tinge of insecurity washes over Blair and looks away for a beat before making eye contact with Dan again, "Is that gonna be a problem for you?" She asks the question confidently, doubt leaving her almost as soon as it hit her.

Dan grins at her forwardness, "I actually think it's going to be a pleasure for me," he replies, deciding he likes the fact that she is so straightforward even now that they're...a couple. "Question is, do you think you can handle being Dan Humphrey's girlfriend?" He asks as his phone buzzes with a text.

_after school party._  
_poolside. BYOB._

"Well, I'm sure it'll be a daunting task, but I think I'll manage," Blair replies, mock-serious

"How about we put that confidence of yours to the test, huh?" Dan stands up, offers her a hand, "You have a bathing suit, right?"

**-xx-**

Dan walks into the school like he owns the place, Blair walking next to him.

"You ready for this?" Dan asks with a grin.

Blair smirks back at him, watching he pulls his t-shirt off from the back of his neck in that sexy way boys do it. She takes a second to appreciate his swimmer's body and the way those short Billabong swim-trunks show off his soccer-toned legs. "As I'll ever be." she replies, shedding off his button-down. Her little red polka-dot bikini making Dan's jaw drop. "Wipe the drool off, Humphrey."

"You look amazing," Dan says matter-of-factly, licks his lips. They glance around the party before joining in.

Chuck Bass reigns from atop the lifeguard stand, and she can feel his leer through those dark Wayfarers.

Blair thinks he looks amusing all dressed up in red—like a tacky version of Baywatch.

Dan just rolls his eyes at the sight—leave it to Chuck Bass to have a color-coordinated outfit for every occasion.

They're barely there for five minutes when two guys from the soccer team pull him away.

"You cool to hang out?" Dan asks with an apologetic look. He doesn't want to leave her alone quite yet—this is their first official outing since the masquerade ball, seeing as they spent most of the weekend holed up in his townhouse and her loft.

"Yeah, I think I can manage." Blair replies with a smile.

Blair starts looking around for a familiar face when she spots the Golden Boy standing by himself near one of the table littered with half-empty liquor bottles.

"You look like you're having about as much fun as I am," Blair comments as a greeting.

Nate downs what's left in his pint glass and shrugs, "This your first after-school party?" he asks, smiling politely. And, of course, it's the golden-boy smile accompanied by the piercing _blueblueblue_ eyes.

Staring at a shirtless Nate Archibald is like looking at a live version of Adonis: tanned skin, toned chest, toned arms—toned _everything_, really.

"What exactly _is_ an after-school party?" Blair asks, snapping out of it.

"When we break into the school." Nate clarifies, "It's been _ages_ since we've done one. Last time we were in eight grade, I think."

Blair forces a grin, still getting used to being a part of this side of this life. "Yes." she replies, "First time."

"Well, it started out as BYOB," Nate says, nodding towards a table filled with bottles. "But now it's basically serve yourself. What's your poison?"

"Oh, I don't—"

"Trust me," Nate cuts her off, "You want the drink." He eyes for a few seconds and mixes something up in a glass. "Something light."

Blair takes the glass hesitantly, "Light?"

"Mostly juice. Some grenadine." Nate informs her, "Just a hint of vodka. You won't even feel it."

Blair says thank you and takes a sip, tastes mostly orange and pineapple juice. She glances around and rolls her eyes—they're so rich that even at their version of illegal keggers they serve Ketel One martinis in fine glasses instead of cheap beer in Solo cups.

"Is Dan cool with this?" Nate asks, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Blair blinks, "With what?"

"You talking to me." Nate replies.

"Last time I checked, I didn't need Dan's permission to socialize," Blair says matter-of-factly.

Nate smiles, "He's still pissed. And I get it, but...I just miss my best friends."

"I, uh, I know the feeling." Blair says, "My best friend Rory goes to school in Hartford and we haven't really kept in touch lately. It's hard. I know it's not the same thing, but I get it. Missing having someone be a part of your daily routine." she sighs, "Look, for what it's worth, I think Dan will come around. I mean, you love Serena, don't you? I know he sees that."

Nate grins goofily, "As long as I can remember," he says, "Since she first tousled my hair back at the playground and dubbed me her pretty boy." He shrugs, "I wasn't the only one, though. Chuck was always her bad boy."

"And what was Dan?" Blair asks out of curiosity.

Nate purses his lips, "Dan was just..._her_ boy." he cuts his eyes towards Dan who's horsing around with Charlie Dern and then towards Serena who seems to have stolen Chuck's throne atop the lifeguard tower. "It's just weird going from doing everything together to not even talking."

"You and Serena didn't..."

Nate shakes his head, "No, uh...she ran away from me. We haven't talked since."

"I'm sorry."

Dan pops up behind Blair, loops an arm around her bare stomach, "I'm back," he says playfully, "Wanna take a dip?"

Blair turns her head to face him, "Sure," she says, "See ya, Nate." she spins out of Dan's grasp gracefully and takes his hand, leading him towards the pool.

Nate waves, "Bye."

Dan juts his chin out towards his former best friend, "You good, man?"

"Yeah," Nate says, grinning at the fact that Dan's at least talking to him now, "Getting there."

Dan nods, "Save me a drink, huh," he calls out over his shoulder, as Blair pulls him away.

Blair notices the grin on Dan's face and kisses his cheek, "You look happy." she says, "I'm glad you're starting to make up with your friend."

"And you look gorgeous." Dan says, looping his arm around her waist once more and jumping into the pool, effectively pulling her with him.

They resurface from under the water and Blair splashes him with water, "I can't believe you did that!"

Dan laughs and splashes her back, "You look better wet." he says with a grin, wrapping his arms around her. Her back is pressed against his chest, his warm breath tickles her wet skin and he presses a soft kiss to the nape of her neck. "You taste better, too." he decides.

They fool around in the pool for a while and Dan sufficiently impresses her with his swimming prowess. While they get a few curious furtive glances, they don't attract any attention to themselves. It feels easy.

Dan helps Blair out of the pool and serves her another drink. They move to stand on the diving board and Dan wraps a towel around Blair. He rubs her shoulders in an attempt to keep her warm.

Alex Wyler skates by them with a cellphone in hand, "Smile for the camera!" he calls out, snapping a picture before skating away.

"Does this mean we're going to be featured on yet another Gossip Girl blast?" Blair asks teasingly.

Dan throws his head back, laughing like a little kid, "I don't know, maybe." Funny thing is, he doesn't really care either way anymore. "You having fun, Blair?"

"I am, actually," Blair replies, leaning her head against his chest.

It only takes a second for the party to take a turn—

The guy falls face first into the pool and he doesn't move, doesn't react.

"Is that _blood_?!"

The shriek is enough to send a wave of panic through everyone. Dan and Blair glance around quickly and spot Nate jumping into the pool and pulling the unconscious guy out.

"Is he breathing?" — "Somebody call 9-1-1!" — "What happened?"

They hear the sirens almost instantly.

"CLEAR OUT!"

Chuck glances furtively around and shoves a key into his pocket. "Party's over." He grabs Serena's arm and pulls her towards the nearest exit, but the blonde seems to be glued to the floor, "S. we have to get out of here. _Now_." he pulls her harder and this time she budges, he uses his free hand to text his driver to meet them out front. "Don't worry. I've got you covered." he whispers in her ear as he helps her get into the back of the limo.

Dan reaches for Blair's hand, "Come on," he says quietly.

"Dan, we can't just leave." Blair says like it's the most logical thing in the world.

But Dan doesn't seem to hear her. He's already tugging on Nate's arm. "Dude, you, too." he says, "We're outta here."

Nate appears to be in shock. He mutely nods and follows Dan's lead.

Blair stands her ground. "Dan?"

"Blair, he's breathing. It'll be fine." Dan assures with a certainty that doesn't quite belong to him—he has no fucking clue if the guy is really gonna be all right. "We have to _go_. Okay, we're screwed if the cops find us here. C'mon."

This time around Blair lets him lead her away and run away. Nate follows them in silence and slides into the back of the cab along with them.

Blair rides in silence and blinks—

_What the hell just happened?_


End file.
